Fortune Favours the Brave
by lapizlazuli
Summary: Lumina's life changes dramatically one day when she walks in on her grandmother dead in her room. A story about how death affects every step we take in life, and Lumina's struggle to make sense of her world: MURDERER REVEALED!
1. Parting

Hey there everyone, I'm finally back with a new fanfic!! I've had this planned for ages so I figured I'd finally submit it... yay!

I don't own harvest moon, or any of the characters that you would see in the game, I only own the character that I make up... if that isn't obvious...

Well anyway... cheerio.

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1. Parting

Lumina knew she would never forget that night, the night her world fell apart at the rich seams of silky fabric. The morning was dark and crisp, like that of a winter's day in Forget-Me-Not valley, yet it was mid autumn. The only giveaway as to the true season was the ruffled coat of golden leaves that Mother Nature garbed; rich in its shining glory. The clouds raged over the valley huffing and puffing angrily, threatening to drop cold bullets of rain onto the golden ground. Lumina was gazing out of her bedroom window at the angry outside, her golden brown eyes surveying the likewise coloured ground. Her breath was tickling the cold glass leaving a misty trail of condensation behind.

The brown trees swayed in the wind, their branches seemed to beckon to her, calling her outside. She remained on her perch, debating whether to obey the persistent trees or to remain in the warmth of the inside. The sense of adventure of the storm was overwhelming and so she submitted to the trees and hurried outdoors.

The wind was howling and whistling, as though trying to taunt her into venturing further away from the house and at the same time the trees and flowers swayed, enticing her to go nearer. She obediently obeyed until she found herself opposite the pond in which the old turtle lived – the village pet. Her eyes darted towards the icy water, which waved unevenly like silky blue material. On the edge of the pool lay a red neckerchief, the exact same one that usually claimed the wild turtle as belonging. The flowers continued to sway, blue and ed coloured flowers dancing gracefully, she was mesmerized. She suddenly felt a firm hand on her shoulder and turned to see the intruder into her private world – it was Hardy, the Doctor.

"You'll catch your death out here." He rasped, his voice dim compared to the roaring wind that was determined to be noticed above all. She nodded and greeted him with a shy smile. Her eyes as usual fell straight towards his strange metal eye with the red light in the middle, how that eye could possibly see anything was beyond her. At first glance he was terrifying, yet it was known that he was one of the best Doctors around – there were two Doctors nearby, Dr. Tim of Mineral town and Hardy, so the statement wasn't saying much. But regardless, he served the Valley well.

"Good morning Dr. Hardy," Lumina quickly switched her glance from his eye to the ground – the safest spot to focus on as far as she was concerned. "I was just getting some fresh air."

"Mind you don't catch anything, you could give it to your Grandmother, as if she isn't unwell enough!" He chided her before walking off and mumbling to himself. Lumina bit her lip, she hadn't meant any harm, but she hadn't considered the possibility of falling ill. With one last look at the pond she hurried inside.

The first thing Lumina noticed as she stepped up into the house was how unusually dark it was; she had not left it so. Every curtain was drawn and every light was off, the mansion looked quite eerie, almost haunted. Upon stepping further into the mansion she realised appearances were not all that was askew, there was an eerie silence upon the house, like a veil of hush. She sensed immediately something was wrong, something was so terribly wrong. She wanted to cry out and she didn't know why, fear crawled down her back sinking it's claws in and leaving a trail of goose bumps down her arms, her hair standing on end.

"Hello?" She called cautiously into the silent mansion, her voice seemed to ring out harshly. When no one answered she swallowed hard, she could almost feel tears coming to her eyes. Her instinct told her to run and find company, to save her from her fear, and she immediately obeyed. She ran to her Grandmother's room, but there a sight more terrible than the fear fell before her.

Her Grandmother lay face down on the bed, her eyes staring, almost accusingly, there was no peace. Lumina did what her reactions told her, she screamed a loud, piercing scream. Sebastian came running, followed minutes later by Dr. Hardy. Lumina was quickly ushered outside, the sight not deemed fit for a child's eyes; they were right, but it was too late. She sat on a small wooden stool outside the room, clutching her arms, her whole body was numb. Nothing seemed real and she knew, falsely, that this could not happen to her. But she could still hear the voices of Hardy and Sebastian inside the room.

"Is she...?" Sebastian's voice came out shaky; he was obviously as shocked as she had been. There was a period of silence, which Lumina assumed was filled by a nod.

"Oh god," came Sebastian's voice again, more quietly. "What will the girl do?"

"We don't have time to worry about that now. We need to get her away and get the body out." Hardy told him, his voice remained strictly professional, as though Romana truly was _just_ a patient and not a close friend.

"Oh but she's so young," Sebastian protested.

"Romana was quite of a weak enough age... oh you mean the girl."

"Of course," there was a long pause, and eventually a sigh.

"Take her over to Vesta's farm, tell them... just tell them to look after the girl. Don't tell them why yet, they'll only upset her."

"Right, right. How are you going to... you know... remove the body?" Sebastian asked, he sounded nervous and apprehensive.

"I'll tell everyone in town, you just deal with the girl."

A few minutes later Sebastian emerged, a forced smile printed onto his wrinkled face. He seemed somehow older to Lumina now, his usually perfectly permed hair was out of place and his little red bow tie was wonky.

"I'm... I'm going to take you over to Vesta's, just while we sort some things out here, okay Lumina?" He asked. She nodded and followed him quietly; there was nothing to say.

They arrived outside the farm and after Sebastian had asked Vesta if Lumina could stay he stood opposite the young girl. He placed his wrinkled hands gently on her shoulders and then pulled her into a hug; the hug held a promise that later they would weep together, after all they were as good as family. Lumina sat quietly on a chair inside the kitchen, with Vesta booming on about seeds. She would usually have been lively in the discussion, whether interested or not, but now she barely heard. More than once Vesta had commented on how quiet the girl was.

"Sis, leave her alone, she doesn't feel like talking." Marlin told her. Lumina felt grateful towards him and offered him a small smile, which he returned.

"Alright, but I usually feel that if there's something wrong you should talk about it." Vesta countered, placing her butch arms on her equally huge hips. Lumina choked, trying hard to find her voice, but it seemed lost forever, instead she smiled apologetically.

"What'sa matter kid? Cat gotchyer tongue?" She asked again, determined to get something out of the girl. However she remained mute, her large eyes fixed sadly onto the floor.

"Just leave her be, she's not in the mood." Marlin warned, sitting casually on a chair and leaning right back. Lumina looked up from the floor to survey the room; it was small and obviously rather old, probably built by Vesta's own hands. Wooden stairs led up to another room which to her knowledge belonged to Celia, but she had never bothered to look. A large oak table took up most of the space in the small room with the two beds belonging to Marlin and Vesta, but there was also a small array of cupboards, most likely containing yet more seeds. The floor was of dusty pink tiles, pointing even more to the idea that Vesta had built the farmhouse.

"Marlin, sometimes people need to talk, unlike you. We're not all dead inside." Vesta joked, rather too harshly. He turned away, fixing his blue stare on the wooden wall furthest from the friendly giant.

"Awww, Mar, I didn't mean nothing by it," she stated, clapping her hand down hard on his back and sending him flying forward off his chair. "Come now, why don't you take Lumina for a walk? I reckon she'd like that."

Lumina gazed up at the giant woman; she was about three times the size of her she'd guess. Yet she wasn't at all terrifying, with an amiable smile and small, yet kind green eyes. She studied her for a moment and decided she definitely put a lot of effort in to appear friendly, and she succeeded. She had tamed her fiery red hair into a tight ponytail behind her large head and she wore sunshine yellow overalls with pictures of fat vegetables sown in. Although it had to be said that no effort could make her by any means pretty, with her large upturned nose and overly thick eyebrows; yet friendly she could appear.

Lumina shifted her gaze to Marlin, what a difference! He and Vesta were complete opposites, he was very small in comparison, with jet black hair contrasting against her fiery red tangle. He had far sharper features than her, making him look that bit darker and more dangerous, yet if one was to look closely, they would see soft eyes of calm ocean blue. Somehow she was soothed by these eyes at that point in time, she found focussing on them helped to ease her fear.

"Lumina, would you care to go for a walk?" Marlin asked, the cool blue eyes suddenly shining on her. She gazed right into them with her golden orbs and nodded. He smiled slightly and had she blinked she was sure she would have missed it. He placed a gentle hand on her arm and led her outside, he then stepped ahead and she followed him.

They remained in silence for a while and she preferred it that way, she had no wish to speak. She was just content to walk and try her hardest to block out what had happened.

"So what's up?" Marlin finally interrupted her thoughts, deciding the silence had gone on long enough. She glanced to the ground and inhaled a deep breath of cool air into her lungs, easing slightly the ache in her heart.

"I think... I... I..." She stuttered, trying her very hardest to tell him, but she couldn't. The words were not yet real to her, so instead she closed her mouth again and bit her lip until she could taste irony blood. She then felt warm tears trickling from her eyes and dripping down her cheeks and before she could control it a sob tumbled from her lips. Marlin was obviously taking aback, shock visible in his features, he was unsure of what to do.

"Hey... shhhh..." He whispered in a soothing voice, hushing her cries slightly. He placed a comforting hand on her back, rubbing circles in an attempt to soothe her. "What's wrong?"

Lumina shook her head and he accepted that she could not yet tell him, quelling his curiosity. He pulled her into a tight hug and continued to run his hand over her back comfortingly as she cried. She didn't know how long she remained in his comforting embrace but was immediately aware of the cold of leaving it.

"We'd better take you back to the farm, eh? I'll erm..." He finished his sentence, in truth he had no idea what to do, he barely spoke if he could help it and now he was trying to comfort Lumina. She glanced up at him with big, bright eyes shining with fresh tears. He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her back to the house, whilst she tried to suppress her tears.

When they arrived Sebastian was already waiting for her, sitting on one of the wooden chairs, his back was hunched over and he seemed so much smaller.

"You may all want to sit down." He warned as he accepted a mug of warm, herbal tea from Vesta.

"Just tell us the damned news." Vesta rushed, collapsing onto a chair, which protested with a loud creak.

"There's been a death," he began, pausing as he heard the gasp from Vesta and Marlin. But Lumina remained still, looking at the ground, she already knew. "Romana passed away today... in... in her sleep."

Lumina knew this was true, if Sebastian said it then it had to be, and yet a niggling voice in her head wouldn't leave her alone. It whispered to her, a voice of her own mind. _"Who sleeps face down into a pillow?" It asked, "She was fine this morning." _

"Oh my, oh that's awful." Vesta broke the silence, glancing nervously over at Lumina, who remained absorbed in her thoughts.

"I... I have to go and alert everyone else, could you... could you just keep an eye on Lumina?" Sebastian asked, watching her with twinkling blue eyes.

"Of course, don't worry about her." Vesta replied softly, small tears shining in her green eyes.

"Thank you..." He murmured and with one last glance at Lumina he left.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Vesta asked quickly, Lumina shook her head. "How about something to eat?" Lumina shook her head again. "No, of course you're not hungry how silly of me... how about some tea... no you already said you didn't want anything..."

"I'd... like to be alone... if that's okay..." Lumina said softly, finally finding her voice.

"Are you sure? I mean Celia will be back from the market soon and... you can talk... no you don't want to talk... of course not..." She mumbled, continually shooting worried glances at her. "Why don't you go on up, you can lie down."

Lumina nodded and walked up the creaking stairs, she then immediately sank into the soft bed. She closed her eyes and blinked away tears, letting them drip onto the sheets. She could hear the voices clearly below as she listened, softening her breathing to hear.

"Oh that poor, poor girl, first she loses her parents and now her last living relative, her Grandmother." Vesta said sadly, her voice was hushed and she had to strain her ears to hear.

"Shame both her parents had no siblings, but at least she'll have the fortune left in the will." Marlin said gruffly.

"Yes... but no fortune compares to living relatives... she's so young."

"She has all of us in the valley, she'll be fine."

"Not everyone's heart is made of stone like yours, Marlin. It will take time for her to get over this."

"Of course, but she will get over it." There was a brief period of silence and Lumina listened hard.

"I'm glad I have you Marlin." Vesta said softly, she sounded so much younger and more childlike when she spoke.

Marlin was silent for a while but finally he spoke, his voice filled with emotion. "Likewise, sis." Once again there was silence and Lumina closed her eyes tightly, breathing hard. Eventually the room darkened and she was lulled into a rough sleep by her ragged breathing.

Her sleep was not at all peaceful, her mind was plagued with nightmares that heavily featured Romana. Her nightmare featured Romana being murdered in many different ways, and Lumina was there to witness each one. But when she finally awoke she found herself in her own bed.

"Please have all been a nightmare." She pleaded any powerful god-like creature that would hear her. She dressed quickly and hurried to her Grandmother's room, her heart beating hopefully. She pushed open the glossy, oak door and surveyed the room. It was empty and her heart sank.

"No." She moaned and fell onto the bed, fresh tears poured from her eyes. She sobbed into the pillow, before leaping up, realising that the sheets had not been washed since her Grandmother had died on them. The door opened behind her and she jumped, and saw Sebastian watching her sadly.

"It's... it's hard to believe she's... gone." He said, he seemed disbelieving, just as numb as Lumina felt. She turned to gaze at him, her bottom lip quivering and her eyes innocent.

"You won't leave me will you? You'll stay right." She begged, clinging on to the last hope she had.

"Oh god Lumina," he said, pulling her into a tight hug. "I couldn't leave you, I could never leave you." His promise eased some of her anxious pain, but very little.

"I... I thought she would live forever... I mean I knew she was old, but I just thought... why now? I'm only eighteen..." She cried, breathing in his familiar smell, musty and ever so slightly spicy.

"My dear, you've had to deal with so much for your age, first your parents were murder... killed... by this cruel world and now your Grandmother is dead." He said, pity and sorrow croaking his voice.

"Promise you won't ever leave, I need you. You're all I have left... we're not related but... but you're my grandfather and I love you." She told him, her voice coming out in a squeal.

"And I love you like my granddaughter. We are family, no matter what." He promised, kissing the top of her glossy chestnut hair softly. She smiled, despite her overwhelming sadness and sense of loss.

Later they sat in the kitchen and Sebastian made her a warm mug of hot chocolate, while they reminisced over the good times.

"Do you remember when we walked in the woods and you both swore that there was a goddess in the pond... and that she would grant any wish I asked." Lumina recalled, smiling at the happy memory. He made a soft sound like a chuckle, it was as close as he could manage with the hole in his heart. "I wished everyday for a pony, but it never worked. Then again I told everyone what I had wished for!"

"Yes, I remember."

"Do you think if we both wished... if we wished really hard the goddess... do you think she'd bring her back?" She asked innocently. Sebastian smiled sadly and shook his head.

"Even the goddess doesn't have that power, it was Romana's time and nothing can change that."

"But it wasn't the right time, she was taken too early!" She protested, tears that had never really dried were forming in her eyes again. Sebastian sighed and the room fell silent.

Lumina looked around the room that was so familiar, clean white plates sat contentedly on racks on the walls. The oak table sat in the middle, glossy and polished to absolute perfection that would make even live oaks turn red with envy. The floor was tiled in light pink tiles, the beautiful colour of a summer sunrise over the ocean of the valley. She hoped desperately that Romana had left her the house in the will, for it would pain her greatly to leave it, after all it was almost all she had of her Grandmother's.

"When will the funeral be?" She asked eventually.

"In about a week, once the valley has gotten over the initial shock." He said softly, Lumina nodded. She dreaded the funeral with everything in her, she just couldn't say goodbye for the last time. Pictures of her Grandmother's cold body were imprinted in her mind, haunting her vision almost spitefully. She could still see the ghostly white, near transparent skin of her Grandmother, she looked like a cold marble statue. Her once sparkling brown eyes that were so full of life had been dull and staring accusingly. Lumina still shuddered at the image in her mind.

"I'll miss her so much." Lumina stated to break the silence, the silence now frightened her.

"Me too. I loved her you know, really loved her, as though she were my own wife." He told Lumina, who smiled softly.

"I know, I could see it in your eyes. I know she felt the same, I could see it whenever she spoke to you." Lumina told him with a small smile, her golden eyes shining warmly on his blue ones, like the sun sending glittering beams over the ocean waves.

"You're a good girl Lumina, you know I would give anything to take this pain from you." He promised her, his mouth formed into a serious "n" shape.

"I know," she said, reaching over and squeezing his hand. "But you share my pain, it's enough."

"You're so bright for such a young girl, you'll go far in this world, I guarantee it. Romana would be so proud of you if she could see you now." Lumina smiled, trying to prevent the tears from falling, she had to be brave.

"I'm gonna miss her."


	2. Letting Go

2. Letting go

The day was so very young as Lumina was so rudely awakened by Sebastian, he had knocked hard against the door and then placed a bowl of scolding hot porridge onto her lap, the heat only slightly lessened by the bed sheets. She groaned now, dressed in her black dress with far too many ruffles and frills, but she wore it out of respect, Romana had picked it out. She pulled her comb through her glossy dirty blonde hair, frowning every time she hit a tangle, then again she had been frowning all morning. She sighed at her reflection in the mirror, lilac coloured bags forming under her still young eyes, was she really so young?

"_I can't do this," _she told herself in her mind, pulling the comb once again through her hair. She bit her lip and placed her comb gently down on the wooden surface, _"time to go," _her mind told her.

Right on cue Sebastian entered, dressed in a white shirt with a black tie, waistcoat and trousers. "Come now Lumina, it's time to... to say goodbye." She nodded and followed him outside. Appropriately it was a dull day, though in autumn beautiful and sunny days are not often found. The clouds were dark grey, almost black, so tempestuous that Lumina's body went rigid in fear. The sky threatened to storm hard across the valley, to make its presence known at the funeral. They arrived at the edge of the valley, on a small mound opposite the sea, which was currently the colour of ebony, reflecting the angry sky.

They found most of the locals already gathered, clean white handkerchiefs in hand, ready to dry their tear filled eyes or perhaps lend them to more pathetically sombre folk. Lumina was among the ones offered a spare handkerchief, and she accepted about five, merely from politeness.

Having no pastors of their own, the valley had to borrow one from Mineral town, owing to many people's belief of the valley dwellers as heathen folk. Somehow it made Lumina's heart ache that a man who barely knew her Grandmother should be the one to say goodbye to her, but she wished her Grandmother to be bought into heaven by any means necessary. After all, as far as Lumina knew her Grandmother had never once set foot in a church, so if there was a heaven, she was most certainly not an obvious candidate to be welcomed into the golden gates. Perhaps even the black gates of hell would be more welcoming and the devil a more likely host.

"Welcome all," pastor Carter began, after clearing his throat. "It is unfortunate to say goodbye to such a good woman as Romana Silverstone, she was loved and respected by all in this valley and will be greatly missed."

Lumina listened to his words bitterly; he didn't know her, his words meant nothing. She glanced at the newly dug hole in the ground, it couldn't have been longer than five foot tall, was her Grandmother really such a small lady? She would have to be about four foot to fit in the grave, coffin and all. Would she fit? What if she didn't, what if they all had to watch, with an apprehensive feeling in their guts as a bigger hole was dug? Lumina knew she wouldn't be able to watch, not for so long, the sooner the funeral ended the better as far as she was concerned. She looked up to see that the dark, polished brown coffin was being lowers into the hole – it did fit.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. May her body become part of the earth, as it started before the lord created her." Carter finished, looking solemnly around at the people, his brown eyes darting to watch as Takakura filled in the grave with dirt. It was then that Lumina choked on her tears: fat, pearly drops falling hard from her eyes, a never-ending river. She glanced around to see that others were crying too, it comforted her slightly to know that she was not alone.

One by one everyone went up to pay their final respects, a gravestone had been placed in front of the freshly filled hole previous to the ceremony. It was a big square slab of marble, a glossy white colour with golden engravings that read:

"_Here lies Romana Silverstone, grandmother to all in this village. Your granddaughter will miss you, as will we all. May you rest in peace, for all eternity."_

After the people had paid their respects the black mass migrated to the bar, to drink down their sorrows, such seems to be the tradition after funerals. Lumina remained however to place a blood red rose on the rich black dirt.

"Goodbye Romana, I will miss you." She said softly, allowing a small tear to slide down her face and onto the ground. She then followed after the crowd; she could not bear to be alone any longer.

Not five hours after the funeral had passed when the mayor from Mineral town arrived to read the will. He seemed to deem himself official enough for such a job, and had obtained the will soon after Romana's death, where it had been before that was anyone's guess.

The mayor had a very strange appearance, in Lumina's opinion, for one in such an official position. He was incredibly short, and also looked as though he enjoyed pies rather too much as he was stout; he had a large, tomato-shaped nose which a floppy brown moustache feathered out from. His tawny hair fell in curls at the back of his head which appeared to be bald at the top, although he attempted to hide this with a tall red top hat. He wore small glasses and an incredibly strange outfit, a red coat on top of a teal waistcoat with a little yellow bowtie, like a small buttercup floating on a pond. He wore white trousers followed by two extra large shoes at the bottom, adding to his clown-like appearance. This was the man deemed responsible for the reading of her Grandmother's will.

He cleared his throat and held the will in his podgy little hands. "Well, this is the will. So I'll begin shall I? Yes... quite right." His demeanour screamed of incompetence as he read causing Lumina to roll her rust coloured eyes.

""To each of the villagers I leave one thousand gold, may you use it wisely, to my butler, Sebastian, I leave five thousand gold, you have been a faithful servant. The rest of my fortune I leave to the owner of the key, which I gave to them before my death. The house and furniture I leave also to the owner of the key." Isn't that odd... that's all." The Mayor finished. Lumina felt her heart pounding her chest, plummeting down into her stomach. There had to be some mistake, her Grandmother would not leave her nothing.

"There must be some mistake!" Sebastian stated loudly. "Nothing has been left to Lumina!" The mayor took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. She gazed at him hopefully, praying that he had read the will wrong.

"No mistake, that's what it says!" The mayor retorted, sounding rather angry that his authority had been slightly undermined.

"But... but I am her granddaughter, her last living relative, surely the money should go to me? But I own no such key!" Lumina exclaimed, her voice wavering as she trembled, a sense of panic was hitting her hard.

"I'm sorry, but this will is the law, if you don't have the key then the money is not yours." The mayor stated carelessly, before adding. "Unless someone here confesses to owning the key and wishes to pass it to the child, she would then legally be owner of the key and therefore the fortune."

However no one spoke up, it seemed that no one owned the key. Lumina felt more tears still form in her eyes, she had nothing. Her heart was beating wildly and she could not control the sense of fear making her body shake violently. Before she could register any other emotion the world blackened and she fainted to the floor.

She found herself on her bed, a cold sweat trickling down her face and mingling with the tears, she saw Sebastian and Doctor Hardy watching her.

"P...p... please..." she stuttered, her eyes darting wildly to Sebastian. "Tell me that was a dream; tell me my Grandmother didn't leave me nothing." Her begging cut Sebastian, he felt so much pain for her, it was hard enough for the child to lose her Grandmother, but to receive nothing.

"I'm sorry Lumina." Sebastian said, his light blue eyes staring at the ground. That's all she had to hear to make her heart start beating again, what was she going to do? She had no family, no money, no home, nothing.

"Sebastian... what will I do?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm. "Can... can... I mean I don't wish to put you out, but Sebastian I have no idea what to do... please... could I live with you?"

"Of course." Sebastian answered immediately, it had been his idea too. Lumina smiled slightly, at least she wouldn't be on the streets. But this turn out was far from ideal.

Later Lumina and Sebastian sat at the kitchen table, after packing up some items they wished to keep without the key-holder knowing.

"I wonder who owns the key, Sebastian, why would my Grandmother not name them?" Lumina asked, her light eyebrows knitting together in a frown.

"Your Grandmother began to write the will before you were born, perhaps she did not know who she would wish to own the key when she wrote it. After all she had no children of her own then, but maybe she thought things would change. Leaving no name meant the key could pass to whoever she wished to own the fortune. I think your parents owned the key originally, but perhaps it got passed to the wrong person." Sebastian pondered, gazing at Lumina thoughtfully.

"Then perhaps the wrong person now had my Grandmother's fortune and will own the house, oh Sebastian, that's too horrid! I can't image some other person owning all of our things, and this house... where will we live?" She asked, her eyes wide with worried innocence.

"I can't say I know Lumina, somewhere in the valley hopefully, but we will move into the inn tomorrow." He told her sadly, looking around the room at all the things he was going to miss. She would miss the house immensely also, she had grown up in this house, it was all she had to remember her Grandmother by. She sobbed, but no more tears would pour from her eyes, she was completely cried-out. Sebastian shushed her and cradled her in his arms gently, he hated to see her in pain.

He then took her up to bed and tucked her in, kissing her on the top of her head as he was accustomed to do whenever he tucked her into bed. It was familiar and it was comforting to both of them.

"Sleep now my little Lu, everything will look brighter in the morning." He assured her, wishing he could believe the words himself. She yawned and closed her eyes.

"I doubt that Sebastian, but I hope that you are right." She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. It's strange that somehow, even at the most miserable times when sleep seems impossible one can drift off so easily.

"Oh Lumina, I'm so sorry."

The next morning the two moved into the inn, sharing a small room which had newly been built next door to Rock's room. It wasn't much, but at least it was a roof over their heads. Lumina had settled in on her own, as Sebastian had gone missing for most of the day, when he returned he looked thoroughly miserable.

"What ails you Sebastian?" Lumina asked innocently, her bright eyes wide in concern.

"Oh... I... I just found out that the owner of the key will be selling the house, according to the mayor; he's selling all of the furniture too. Apparently they wish to remain anonymous." He told her grimly.

"Oh, then we won't find out who they are after all." Lumina cried, a small tear dripping from her eye.

"No... This is all very troubling. There is something very wrong with this entire situation." He began, standing up and pacing slowly around the room.

"What is it?"

"Well... for starters your parents owned the key to begin with, I am sure of this as Romana told me she would be leaving them the fortune in her will, but she would leave this changeable should anything go awry... your Grandmother was always prepared. But when your parents died they left their fortune to Romana, so she in turn could leave it to you when she passed away, so your parents must have had the key. But when they died, the key should have passed on to you directly, yet it has passed to someone unknown to us." His pacing became wilder as he spoke, his stress levels rising.

"Then the key... it must have been intercepted." Lumina said softly, taking a deep breath.

"Precisely,"

"Is there no way of finding the owner of this key?" She asked, furrowing her brows.

"I don't know, but I will search until the day I die!" He vowed, his mouth forming into a determined frown.

"Me too... we'll find it... I'm sure we will." She stated with a nod, standing from her small chair in the corner of the room.

They spoke for most of the late afternoon, sharing memories of Romana and the period of time they were readily referring to as "the good old days". Soon the evening stretched out across the sky, pushing day from its pedestal and claiming it for its own. The stars shone brightly for the first time in ages, as the clouds had finally made their way grudgingly from the atmosphere. Lumina sat by the window watching the sky, her eyes glinting with the golden light of the stars. Eventually the two gave up on the waking world and gave into that of sleeping, giving way to the dreams of better times.

Lumina did not sleep easy, her dreams were haunted with her Grandmother's grave, and real owner of the key's gloating face. It did not own so much of a face as a white mask with dark shadowy eyes that engulfed all light. The key-holder would then chase her, trying to stab her with the key. Her own scream woke her as she sat up suddenly in bed, a feverish sweat pouring down her body.

"Oh Sebastian, I had the most horrid nightmare I dreamt..." she paused to look around the room, there was no sign of Sebastian. "Oh, he must have gone down for breakfast..."

After her nightmare she was in no mood to be alone, so she pulled on her light pink, fuzzy robe and made her way downstairs. Sebastian was not there, she guessed that he was out and decided it would not be proper for her to venture out in merely a robe and a night gown. So instead she asked Ruby for some breakfast and received some scrambled egg on toast. Ruby was an excellent cook and even her simplest dishes stood out against anyone else's, even Sebastian's eggs could not match hers.

Ruby was a rather short woman and was rather podgy too, but then again, as Romana had often said, you should _never _trust a thin cook; but of course, Sebastian didn't count. She had short, jet black hair and tanned skin, she wore a strange moss green skirt and yellow t-shirt with a flowery apron, so she looked like a nature lover. Her strange colourful necklace, red scarf and sandals completed the very colourful picture. Her clothes matched her sunny and strange personality very well, as she really was a very kind lady.

After breakfast Lumina returned upstairs to wait for Sebastian, she glanced around the little room. It was pretty small and not much room remained after fitting in the two single beds. The sheets were a light pink colour to match the light salmon pink curtains, the floor was of light wood, with a bamboo mat placed over. There was also a red rug in the middle of the room, which somehow didn't clash too much with the pink, allowing the room to maintain a rather pretty décor. There was a low window on the side of the room opposite the door, which a long stool had been placed in front of. A small painting of a boat on gentle azure waves was placed on the right side of the room, over Lumina's bed, whereas the other wall which Sebastian's bed laid remained bare. The walls were white, a colour that would suit almost any guest.

Next to both beds was a small chest of drawers which Lumina and Sebastian had packed their clothes into the previous night, they were made of beech wood, Lumina assumed, with their dull steel handles they appeared rather basic, but the room itself was not extravagant. Lumina's eyes ran over Sebastian's made bed and she spotted a white piece of paper on the pillow, she was about to walk over and examine it before she heard a knock on the door. She glanced down at her robe, she didn't exactly look ladylike, but then again she was not the lady of the manor she used to be. Shrugging off her self-consciousness she headed to the door.

Rock stood staring at her with inquiring bronze eyes, he seemed to be worried over her state.

"How are ya?" He asked eventually. She regarded him, with his tousled blonde hair and scruffy clothes, then again she was sure she didn't exactly look a picture.

"As well as to be expected," she answered as politely as she could, when being asked a question she did not want to answer.

"Still feeling... y'know... all sad and stuff?" He asked nervously. He was shifting from foot to foot awkwardly and Lumina was beginning to wonder if Ruby had put him up to this.

"Yes," she didn't bother to elaborate.

"Alrighty then..." he said breathing in, feeling very out of place. "I just wanted to check you're okay... and you're not. So I should really stay and make you okay, but I kinda don't know how, but people say that when people are sad they need time. So should I like... erm... give you time? Or do you wanna talk, or you know we could go skinny dipping in the sea." Lumina raised an eyebrow sceptically. "I did not just say that... I mean I said it, but I didn't mean it in that way. I mean I meant it in that way but not in _that _way. Understand?" Lumina shook her head blankly.

"Well what I mean to say is, you can wear a bathing suit if you own one, but I don't so I would be erm... naked... but... stop talking Rock." Lumina rolled her eyes, resisting the temptation to slam the door in his face. "I'll just go..."

"That might be wise, as you've made rather a fool of yourself so far." Lumina said sternly, feeling rather angry. Rock frowned, not liking in any way the way she had just spoken to him.

"Dude, you really need to chill out, I said some stupid stuff, but I meant no harm." He told her, getting a little angry himself.

"Yes but if you're saying stupid things you should just shut up!" She told him irately.

"Well if you're saying mean things you should shut up!"

"Get out of my room!"

"Chill"

"Get out!"

"Fine I'm leaving!"

"GET OUT!"

"OKAY!" He shouted before turning on his heel out of the room. Lumina was fuming as she sat down on her bed.

"Stupid Rock," she mumbled to herself, folding her arms in fury. She suddenly remembered the note and walked over to read it.

"_Dearest Lumina,_

_When you are reading this letter I will already be gone. I could not stay, for I have family elsewhere and I have neglected them for long enough. I have grandchildren of my own after all, I never told you of my wife – she died a long while ago and my children grew up and now their children are now almost grown – yes, I am that old! I have also been told I cannot legally look after you, I was not considered a fit guardian as I am too old, but Ruby had promised to take care of you, and you shall have no legal guardian, hide this from all or you may be taken away – we can't risk that. I promise I will continue to search for the key-holder, the person who ruined your life. I will not rest till I have found them. But for now, it is time for you to grow up alone, you are an amazing young woman and even without a guardian I am sure you will grow up to be a fine lady. I am so sorry to have to do this to you, I truly wish I could have remained your guardian and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you of my family. There are so many things I am sorry for, and I will not attempt to fit them all in this letter. But know this, I still love you, I will always love you and you will be fine. _

_You'll get through this, be strong and be brave – for me, unworthy as I am. I cannot fully tell you why I made the decision to leave, perhaps in time I will return and explain all to you – or perhaps you will never see me again. I apologise for not saying goodbye to you, I truly am, but it would have been too hard – for both of us. So I tell you now, goodbye and that I love you._

_Your faithful servant, Sebastian"_

Lumina felt tears once again trickle down her face, they dripped onto the page and the ink ran down the page. She heard the door open behind her and saw Rock.

"I just came to say that..." he paused and walked over. "What's wrong?"

He pulled her into his arms as she began to cry harder, hushing her with a soft voice.

"He's gone." She said eventually before crying harder into his shirt.

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Sorry about the depressingness of these first few chapters, I promise it does get less depressing... honestly... 


	3. Chicken Soup for the Soul

Right, folks, I'm gonna start by answering some questions of the very kind, very esteemed reviewers (here's hoping flattery will get me everywhere)...:

like red on a rose: This will be taking place in AWL, since unfortunately I don't have the DS version yet... stupid english shops not selling them... To answer your second question, I'm afraid the key holder isn't that kind...

Shiruko Yuina: I'm afraid you're just gonna have to read and see, maybe they will, maybe they won't, but you'll see later in this chapter that they're not really in the "love" place, yet.

Chicken Yuki: Why thank you, well I'm hoping it'll get less depressing... then more depressing again... then less depressing... and the cycle will continue. It won't be a LuminaXRock pairing for a while, that's for definite, and trust me, I won't hand Lumina to Rock on a silver platter, he would really have to earn her. Haha, happy ending... the idea makes me smile... though I think this one may actually be happy... not sure yet.

Vook: Hmm, I'm taking it Rock's not exactly Mr. Popular... well I'm trying to make this Rock less annoying... eventually... but it'll take time. The shoulder crying so far is strictly friend shoulder crying, no lovey dovey stuff. This story is in it for the long haul, perhaps the longest so far... so buckle up, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

Anywho, thank you guys for reviewing, it makes me smile... gorsh, you guys are great. Sooooo, before I get all emotional... onwards with the story!

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3. Chicken Soup for the Soul

Two days had passed after Sebastian's abandonment and Lumina's tears were already dry, she had cried too much recently, and as of yet her tears had solved nothing. Ruby had allowed her to stay at the inn, but she had to work for her keep and so was employed as a maid. First of all she had found the work rather interesting, she'd never _had _to clean anything in her life, and the work seemed like a bold adventure to begin with. But four hours and a sore back later and she had realised that there was a reason why cleaning was considered "a chore".

After her work however she was greeted with a big plate of Ruby's cooking, which made up for the day's work and she was assured that the next day would be easier.

"The inn doesn't need to be cleaned everyday, just every two days to keep it clean, but the beds must be made every day. You have weekends off." Ruby had told her kindly. She was very obviously sympathetic, poor little rich girl had been pushed off her throne and been employed as a maid; she had nothing that truly belonged to her in the world. So much for her promising career as a musician, she had not even a piano to play on anymore. She couldn't afford to go to the French Art's college in Paris, where she could perfect not only her art but the language – which she was already almost fluent in. As it was, she had not even a full education and almost no credentials; she could therefore not obtain a good job.

One afternoon she was sitting and mending a hole in her white blouse when Rock bounded up next to her. He sat down and watched her intently, she rolled her eyes.

"What do you want Rock?" She asked boredly, her tether was at its shortest today and she was not in the mood for Rock's antics. He smiled, as he was accustomed to do when he realised Lumina was ready to snap at him, for some reason he liked the dangerous feeling. To him it was like lion taming, see how much you can anger the creature then stop it from attacking you. But he realised, that Lumina was more dangerous than a lion, if her feelings were hurt she would cry; he couldn't bear to see a girl cry.

"I have something to show you." He told her in a sing-song tone, grinning from ear to ear. Lumina sighed, placing down her needle and thread, as she was already finished mending the hole.

"Rock, really, I know you believe you've found the Loch Ness monster right here in Forget-Me-Not Valley, but honestly, you know it only lives in Scotland!" She told him, trying her best to sound patient. Rock shook his head quickly and chuckled.

"No, not that, I already found out that it was just the turtle's shadow... still it looked very realistic, I think that if we took a photo and then sent it off to a magazine they might..."

"Rock!" Lumina interrupted, she was steadily becoming used to him going off at a tangent. He was especially scatterbrained and really couldn't follow one train of though for longer than one minute.

"Right... sorry... the surprise! Well... follow me then," he said and rolling her eyes she did. Though she was sure she wouldn't like his surprise, she didn't have anything better to do.

They walked up in front of the mansion, which had been sold to a rich banker, who merely wanted a home that he could visit if he wished to every year or so. He wished it for a holiday home, but had many other much larger houses and had no reason to stay for more than a few days; this suited the locals just fine. They didn't want some stranger taking over Romana's mansion, as it always would be.

"Rock," Lumina hissed as they edged closer. "I don't want to see this, it hurts enough."

"But Lumina... I have something to show you!" Rock told her excitedly. He then slid open a window and beckoned her to follow him inside. Lumina's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"That's called breaking and entering Rock!" She whispered, beckoning for him to come back.

"Yeah, but the owner never comes here and he knows that no one in the Valley will rob him... that or he doesn't care... he is rich after all. I mean if I had that money I doubt I would care much either, but I wouldn't buy a house here... somewhere sunnier with beach babes and..."

"Rock!" Lumina cut him off again.

"Oh yeah... sorry... but really it's fine, he's not gonna come here for like another year, there are no alarms and no one in the village will mind. So come on!" He told her before disappearing into the house. Reluctantly she slipped into the house after the blonde maniac. Inside the house was dark, much like it had been on the day they had found the body. All of the curtains were drawn, obviously to keep people from seeing inside and wanting to steal anything. It was like a ghost to Lumina and she was filled with an uneasy feeling that Romana's spirit would attack them. Everything was left in exactly the same place as when she had lived there.

Rock was pulling on a cord about to open the curtains and she ran over to stop him. "Don't open those! Everyone will know we're in here!"

"No they won't, we don't exactly have a neighbourhood watch service, no one will notice and if they do, they won't care. Okay?" He said, smiling reassuringly at her, she swallowed hard and allowed him to open one set of curtains.

"So was this your surprise?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah... most of it, but I wanted you to play the piano, cos you haven't in a while and you always seemed to enjoy it." He pointed over to the glossy grand piano. Her eyes lit up, how she loved that piano with its snow white, ivory keys that her fingers seemed to dance over. She sat down on the stool and placed her hands over the keys, tapping a note hesitantly. She then began to play, her fingers touching each key from memory and her mind floating away to the better times of practising in the sunlight.

Her tune came out somewhat more melancholy than it used to, it was no longer happy, telling of rich mansions and of gold and silver. This tune was the tune of a maid, the maid that had lost her fortune. Rock listened to the music, he'd always loved to see his friend play... she was his friend right? She was definitely above acquaintance, but perhaps she did not yet consider him a friend. He could listen to the sweet music all day, in fact in the past he had sat outside listening her practise for hours. Finally her hands stopped moving and the music ceased, but the peaceful feeling within her remained.

"So did you like my surprise?" He asked, watching the peaceful expression on her face.

"Yes," she said softly, her voice incredibly calm. "Thank you Rock, that was like..."

"It sounded like I dunno... angels singing or something, it was cool!" He told her with a smile.

"Was it? I'm not sure if it sounds good, I forget to listen, but it feels... it feels like... I don't know how to describe it. It's like everything goes numb... like..."

"Alcohol?" Rock filled in, trying to be helpful. Lumina shook her head, she'd tried drinking once, Sebastian had offered her a sip of whiskey and the bitter taste had made her shudder and an unpleasant burning sensation had heated her throat.

"No... But I feel all warm and fuzzy, and better..." She replied dreamily.

"Oh like... Chicken soup... for the soul!" Rock said excitedly. She pondered over it for a moment, relaying it in her mind.

"Yes, that's it. Chicken soup, for the soul, that's what playing the piano is to me." She smiled, content at the definition. Her recent wound felt somewhat healed, like a band-aid had been smoothed over a wound that had recently been kissed better. They were silent for a while, but the silence was not awkward. Rock found it strange, he usually felt so nervous when there was silence and he would try to fill it with ramblings, hence most people couldn't stand him for long periods of time. But with Lumina he could feel at peace, he made up his mind that he wanted to be her friend.

"Lumina?" he asked, biting his lip. She opened her amber eyes and gazed at him gently, a mist of happiness sparkling in her iris.

"Yes?" she asked softly, watching as he cleared his throat.

"Are we friends?"

"Why would you ask that?" She inquired, blinking a few times. He shrugged and ran a hand through his messy gold hair.

"Because I just want to know, so I know, you know?" He asked, his words making very little sense even in his own head.

Lumina giggled, a large smile forming on her light pink lips. "You know what? I think I do."

"So you wanna go up to your old room?" Rock asked, turning his gaze up the long staircase. Lumina swallowed hard, the temptation was overwhelming.

"Yes," she replied, leading the way up the red carpeted staircase. She pushed open the door to her room, everything was exactly as she had left it. The small dressing table with a large mirror remained untouched, even the bed remained exactly as when she had left it.

"You want to take anything?... I mean recover anything, cos it was all yours before... erm..." For once Rock managed to shut his mouth before saying anything incredibly stupid. Lumina shut her eyes and inhaled deeply, smelling the oh so comforting smell of her old room. It still smelt the same, of lavenders, violet and jasmine and the vaguest hint of rose, such a sweet smell, the sweet smell of home.

"No, this is... these aren't my things anymore." She whispered, mentally waving goodbye to the room as she hurried down the stairs; she had to leave before she changed her mind.

Later Rock went home to nap, he seemed to sleep an awful lot during the day, and Lumina decided to wander around. The air was chill and Lumina found herself pulling a warm blue shawl over her. It was almost wintertime in the valley and the cold air burnt her throat making her crave a warm drink. But she wanted to remain outside, there was nothing to do at the inn while Rock was asleep. She looked down at the path, the ground was becoming hard due to the cold and dry weather, shivering she took a step forward. Not looking where she was going she found herself colliding with a hard object which with a glance she determined to be Marlin.

"Oh I'm sorry Marlin, I wasn't watching where I was going... I was... erm... thinking." She told him, her warm eyes shining apologetically. The warmth was returned with a cold stare from his icy blue pools, but a moment later and the warm heat of Lumina's sorrowful eyes melted the ice in his.

"It's fine, how are you Lumina?" He asked, his eyes penetrating deep within her.

"I'm doing well, all things considered. How about you, do you like the cooler weather?" She asked politely.

"I was on my way to see Dr. Hardy actually, the cold irritated my condition." He told her glumly, coughing as though to prove his point.

"Oh and there I was bashing into you when you're sick, I'm so sorry!" She blushed apologetically. "How about you come to the inn and I'll fix you a hot drink... to make up for my rudeness."

"Oh you don't have to..."

"Oh but I insist." Lumina interrupted him and led him to the inn by the arm.

Inside the warmth of the kitchen she fixed him a mug of hot, spiced cocoa, just like the Aztecs used to drink – according to Ruby.

"Where did you learn to make this stuff?" Marlin asked, after taking a sip and deciding he liked the strange, thick and spicy substance.

"Ruby taught me, she's teaching me how to cook, since I'm working here now." Lumina explained, sitting down on a stool opposite him.

"Ah right... how's that going for you?" He asked, he seemed genuinely interested which made her laugh.

"It's surprisingly good; Ruby is very kind which makes up for the hard work. But don't concern yourself with my troubles; tell me, how did you get such a vulnerable condition?"

"I used to live in the city and the pollution had a bad effect on me, ruined my lungs." He explained bitterly. "So now only the warm spring and summer weather doesn't irritate my weakened body, during fall and winter I have to visit Dr. Hardy frequently."

"Oh gosh Marlin, you deal with a lot." She told him, with a warm smile.

"You've had to deal with more, and you're doing well." He told her. She grinned and blushed bright red.

"Oh... well... I don't know about that."

"Well I'd better go; I have to see the Doctor still." He reminded her, before striding out of the door. Lumina had to hurry to catch up with him, but he was out of the door before she could. So she watched him walk up the valley towards Mineral town to the Dr. Hardy's office. She blushed pink as her eyes examined his figure, he was so gorgeous with his pale skin and striking blue eyes. He didn't smile to often, but that was all part of his manly charm, he was standoffish, but Lumina was sure he meant well.

"_He's amazing," _Lumina thought dreamily as she watched him disappear.

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Later that night, around seven o'clock Rock invited Lumina to go to blue bar with him, as she'd never been before at night. Romana had been so worried that she would get a taste for alcohol and go wildly off the rails that she had never once allowed her to go with the others. Lumina sat at the bar, examining the wooden décor, it really was pretty basic and the room was long but very thing and pretty small. It was no wonder that everyone visited the bar at different times. She perched herself on one of the wooden stools and was greeted by Muffy and Griffin.

"What can I getcha little lady?" Griffin asked, squinting at her, as he always squinted at everyone. Lumina had to wonder: was he blind, or was it simply too much effort to open his eyes fully? She observed him casually, he was always dressed like a cowboy, yet he wasn't a farmer – midlife crisis perhaps? He wore a cream and brown long sleeved shirt with an open v-neck, revealing the greying hairs of his chest. He wore dark navy jeans on his skinny legs, normal enough, but followed these with a pair of large cowboy boots which were tan in colour. His hair also screamed midlife crisis, it could possibly be described as "business in the front, party at the back" as his long brown hair was tied in a ponytail at the back of his head. Lumina smiled slightly at him, more at the clothes than the actual person, she somehow resented being called "little lady".

"A moon trip please," she told him, glancing behind the counter at the many different coloured bottles.

"Ah, quite high alcohol content..." He said uneasily, his brown moustache twitching.

Lumina frowned, "I assure you I'm quite old enough." She told him coolly.

"Oh just let her have the drink Griffin, you can't protect the child from the real world! Hit you with a bang huh Lu?" Muffy asked, walking over and winking. Her walk was definitely something to behold, it was sexy, casual, sophisticated and business-like all at the same time. She would swing her hips as she walked, yet take the most delicate of steps.

"You could say that," Lumina agreed, smiling with relief at Muffy, at least she understood.

"Yeah, same thing happened to me..." Muffy began, she then glanced over at Griffin. "What are you waiting for, mix the lady her drink."

"Sometimes I wonder who the real boss here is..." Griffin mumbled as he turned to obey.

Muffy switched her gaze back to Lumina with a sparkle in her emerald green eyes. "Now, where was I... ah yes, my parents kicked me out of the house when I was a little older than you. School had never seemed important to me so I was pretty uneducated, went to the city, got turned down from every job. But I came here and Griffin agreed to hire me, so you see things work out."

"Uh huh, thanks Muffy," Lumina said with a smile, in truth she hadn't been listening too intently, but it was nice to know someone cared. Muffy may not have been the sharpest sickle in the tool shed, but she was definitely intuitive and good with advice. She also seemed to care about all the locals, which made her popular with everyone and the perfect barmaid, if nothing else.

"No problems, talk to me any time... but try to remember that when I'm behind the counter I'm working." She said with a wink. Lumina nodded but smirked slightly, she could swear Muffy had memorised that line, she said it to everyone. It wasn't like she really wanted people to leave her alone, she just seemed to like saying it. But busy or not she turned to help Griffin with the drinks.

"Gosh she's beautiful." Rock said under his breath, gazing at Muffy with a dreamy expression on his face. Lumina took her Moon trip off the counter and took a long sip, it tasted kind of sweet for an alcoholic drink. It was a thick white liquid that almost seem to shine with a pearly luminescence and it tasted as good as it looked. Rock continued to look dreamily at Muffy and Lumina fixed him with a sceptically look.

"Seriously, could you stop drooling? I'm getting drool in my drink!"

"Oh sorry..." Rock said wiping his mouth. Lumina had never seen him focus on the same thing for so long, his mind was usually all over the place.

"Rock, would you like anything?" Muffy asked, looking at him with her big green eyes and smiling sweetly. Lumina looked into her drink jealously, she wished she could look like that, then maybe Marlin would notice her. She was just so unfairly pretty, with her skinny figure that curved in all the right places and her peachy skin tone and perfect complexion. She had those big beryl green eyes and ruby red lips that covered straight pearly white teeth, no wonder Rock was hooked. She wore the right kind of clothes to attract the opposite sex even more, that cherry red dress that was low cut and lacy at the top with a thin ribbon just beneath the bust, with only a little blue jacket to cover her arms. Lumina sighed, if only she could look like that.

"Yeah a moon trip also, Beautiful." Rock replied with false confidence, he was going to need to drink a lot more for real or even alcohol induced confidence.

After they had finished their drinks Lumina and Rock stumbled down the path home, thankfully it was only a short walk, for both were swaying rather badly. Lumina would protest that she wasn't drunk merely a little tipsy, after all she'd only had two moon trips, but she was also a lightweight. Rock was heavier and used to frequent alcohol intake, yet had drank considerably more than Lumina, about two more moon trips and a red trip, leaving him with five drinks to Lumina's two. But both were still sober enough to make there way home and to the kitchen for some coffee. Following that they tiptoed up to Lumina's room to continue their discussions.

"Okay, I've told you I like Muffy, and all the reasons why I liked Muffy, it's your turn." Rock stated, taking a seat on what used to be Sebastian's bed.

"My turn to say why I like Muffy? Well I don't like her in that way, but I guess we have the same reasons!" She told him, a confused little pout crossing her face.

"No, no, no, but I like the images I'm getting..." Lumina scowled at him. "Alright no, I mean who do _you _like."

"No one!" Lumina answered, a little too quickly. Rock raised his eyebrows and stood up to sit opposite her on the bed. He gave her the "I know you're lying look" and followed it with the smug "you're gonna tell me who eventually" look. Both looks were well timed, following after one another perfectly, just enough for her to cave.

"Fine, I'll tell you. But this has to stay our little secret..." She said seriously.

"Cross my heart." Rock agreed, running his finger diagonally across his chest twice.

Lumina sighed and her face turned a bright shade of fuchsia as she said, "Marlin."

Rock smirked and chuckled slightly, "ah so you go for the broody type."

"I guess... but you go for the blonde type." She countered lamely. Rock shrugged and then smirked self-confidently.

"Well you know what they say: blondes of a feather stick together."

Lumina snorted and shook her head. "That's _birds _of a feather."

Rock looked surprised for a moment and then smiled. "Ooooh, that makes more sense, I always wondered why blondes would have feathers."

Lumina slapped her forehead mentally, but giggled anyway. Somehow Rock seemed less intolerable now, now she understood him better. He was weird, sure, annoying, definitely, but he meant well and she could tell that he cared for her. Besides, he was fun to be with and a good friend. He walked over to the over bed, slipped his white sleeveless jacket and blue and yellow shirt off, leaving his hippy symbol on.

"What are you doing?" Lumina asked frowning.

"I'm sleeping here tonight." He told her snuggling down into bed. There was that annoyingness again.

Lumina sighed. "Fine but close your eyes while I change."

"Do I have to?"

"YES!"

"Fine." He pulled the duvet over his head to show that he was in no way peaking and Lumina smiled, he may pretend to be a pervert, but at heart he was a gentleman.

"Damn, this duvet isn't see-through." Well, he was almost a gentleman. Lumina rolled her eyes and changed into her pink bunny rabbit pyjamas.

"Can I look now?"

"Yes."

"Aww, you're not naked. Bunny rabbits? Hehe, that's cute." Rock laughed. Lumina blushed with embarrassment. Sadly they were now her only pair of pyjamas since the rest she had to leave behind.

"Don't be embarrassed, they really are cute." Rock told her with a grin that told otherwise. Then his face reverted back to seriousness, and it appeared that she really needn't be embarrassed.

"At least I own pyjamas." She pointed out and Rock laughed again.

"Don't need em, you're lucky, usually I sleep naked." Lumina blushed again.

"Didn't want to know that." She told him. He grinned and settled his head down on his pillow.

"Night Lumina."

"Night Rock."

There was a brief silence.

"Rock..."

"Yeah?"

"You'd better not snore."


	4. For the Love of Nature

Thank you guys for all the reviews of the last chapter, I actually love you guys :)

I would answer reviews on the actual story but I figure I should start doing that only every other chapter, cos otherwise I'm gonna end up giving too much away or something. So I guess you guys are all gonna have to be surprised.

To answer **PhoenixAvenger II **for clarity: No, Jack, who will move in, hasn't yet.

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4. For the Love of Nature

Lumina was hard at work at the inn, as usual, it seemed that Ruby had been giving her a lot more jobs lately. Perhaps it was because it was constantly snowing outside and she would simply get in the way staying around the house. She finished making Nami's bed and smiled apologetically as the red-head walked in.

"Good morning Nami, sorry, I was just finishing making your bed." Lumina said softly, easing the creases in the duvet. Nami held up her hand as a silent sign that she didn't mind, she then walked over to gaze dreamily out of the window. Lumina followed her gaze and saw that it lingered on Gustafa, the hippy.

He was sitting peacefully and playing guitar beneath the tree just next to his little hut, paying no heed to the snow spiralling down around him. He was wearing his usual big, green hat with the white daisy, woollen striped red and yellow, long sleeved shirt, tan coloured trousers with green on the edge of the legs, probably made from some natural material – hemp perhaps. His brown shoes were possibly made from some other brown, all-natural material than involved no harming of creatures in any way. In fact, everything was natural other than the purple sunglasses perched upon his pointy beak-like nose, they were anything _but _natural.

"Gustafa plays beautifully, doesn't he?" Lumina commented, sounding as blasé as possible.

"Oh yeah," Nami replied with a dreamily smile, still focused completely on Gustafa and not paying attention to the words coming out of her mouth. "I love just listening to him play; I wonder if it's the music I love or the fact that it's _him _playing it. I think it's because he's playing it."

Nami's eyes suddenly widened as she clapped a hand over her mouth, realising that she'd said too much. Lumina smiled amiably and stood next to Nami.

"It's okay, your secret's safe with me, I think he likes you too." She said softly placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I never said I liked him." Nami said defensively, flinching away from Lumina's hand. She merely smiled, Nami was an intensely independent and proud creature from what she knew and that meant that she would never admit to Gustafa how she felt. Gustafa would have to make the first move, but he was about as clueless as a blind llama, nature was his first love and he'd have to be encouraged to let in another.

Lumina sighed, as much as she'd like to help she wasn't the best at giving advice, and playing matchmaker would lead to some disaster which would involve the entire valley being sold into slavery. So matchmaking would be a job for Muffy, who probably already knew the situation, but if she didn't, Lumina couldn't be the one to tell her. She would just have to let them figure things out for themselves.

After finishing every one of her jobs Lumina headed outside to listen to Gustafa playing, he really did play beautifully.

"Sing with me won't you, the words don't matter, just the music," he said, as soon as he saw her arrive. "La, la, la, la."

"I'd rather listen if that's okay, I was never much of a singer. I'm more of a pianist." Lumina admitted, taking a seat on the grass opposite him. The ground was cold and Lumina found herself freezing.

"Well you should play and we can jam sometime," Gustafa said in his overly calm voice leading Lumina to wonder, had he been smoking weed again?

"I would, but I lost the piano when it was sold."

"Oh yeah, when your Grandmother died... bummer." He said, continuing to strum out a random tune on his guitar.

"Yeah..." Lumina said rather uncomfortably, the wound was still painful. "But you could teach me to play the guitar." She changed the subject quickly.

"Guitar is not something you teach, it's in your soul..."

"So you mean you can't teach me?"

Gustafa looked up and grinned, ceasing playing his guitar for a moment. "I didn't say that." Lumina could swear she'd seen his purple glasses glint. Those things really put a new meaning to seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses. Without another word he walked inside his overly colourful hut that one had to shield their eyes to look at, leaving Lumina behind frowning. He returned with a guitar almost identical to his own, only made with a slightly redder wood.

"This is Selma, treat her well." He told her handing her the instrument.

"You're giving me your guitar?" She asked in awe, a big grin on her face.

"Course, if I'm going to teach you the guitar basics, you should at least have a guitar." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Thank you so much... wait a second, you _named _your guitar?" She asked, giggling slightly.

"Why not? Everything's got soul, why should only animated things have names?" He said calmly, the weed really did get to his brain.

Lumina nodded and then addressed the guitar, "hello Selma, I'm your new owner."

Gustafa gave her a strange look, "it's a guitar... it's not going to hear you."

Lumina flushed with embarrassment then frowned defensively. "If it's got a soul, it's got ears, okay? Besides I've seen you talk to trees enough times!"

"Yeah but you're not stoned... are you?" He asked, looking almost worried for a moment.

"NO!"

"Good, weed is good... I mean bad. Don't smoke it."

"Wasn't planning on it."

Gustafa changed the subject quickly, "so lesson one." They both sat down on the ground, guitars in hand.

"Strumming, put your hand like so," he showed her with his own hand. "Then strike down gently." Lumina did. "Good, you're a natural, let's move on to chords."

They played until a black veil of darkness smothered the sky and twinkling stars winked down at the earth. The moon was shining big and bright in the sky, like a silver penny. The two finished playing and sat looking at the stars, Gustafa pointed out a few constellations to her.

"See that, that is the North Star," he pointed to the brightest star in the sky. "It acts as a kind of compass, so if you're ever lost follow it and you'll find your way home."

"What if I'm not looking to go north?"

"Then go the opposite direction." He shrugged unhelpfully.

Lumina raised an eyebrow, "right."

There was a silence which Lumina used to close her eyes and think. She wondered if her parents were up there, looking down on her, or if "the Lion King" had just led her really wrong. That lead her to wonder what kind of people her parents were and how they could die so suddenly, it seemed strange to her and Romana had never spoken of them. In her wildest dreams her parents had been spies, who had pretended to be dead to escape the bad guy but would return soon to pick her up. But she was soon growing out of that fantasy. She closed her eyes and felt warm tears wet the corners.

"What do you think of Nami?" She asked suddenly, she needed to stop thinking fast. She heard Gustafa shift beside her.

"I think she's an intelligent young woman, a free-spirit much like myself and I respect her greatly." He said, after a moment's pause.

"Love can't come without respect..." Lumina mused.

"What was that?" Gustafa asked, perplexed.

"Nothing." Lumina replied quickly.

"Well it's late, I'd better go. I'll continue to practice." She assured him, picking up her guitar.

When she arrived at the top floor of the inn Nami blocked the stairway, glaring daggers at her.

"You and Gustafa were out late together..." She snarled, trying but failing to sound nonchalant.

"Relax Nami, I have no interest in Gustafa other than friendship, I have other love interests. I was merely learning guitar from him, we're both musicians." Lumina told her calmly, Nami seemed to relax a little. "Oh... and I asked him what he thought of you."

"You did what?! You promised you wouldn't tell..." Nami spat angrily, her blue eyes blazing like azure fire.

"Calm down Nami, I didn't tell him anything. The man couldn't tell an admirer if you held up a sign saying "marry me; I'm in love with you". Personally I blame the weed but... besides I thought there was nothing to tell..." Lumina said, a sly smile creeping up her cheeks.

Nami's cheeks turned cherry blossom pink as she averted her eyes. "Well... maybe..."

"Don't worry, your secret is still safe with me... but do you want to hear what Gustafa said?"

"YES!" Nami replied, a little too eagerly. She coughed slightly and tried to regain her proud composure.

"He said you're intelligent, free-spirited like him, which he likes by the way and that he respects you. Love can't come without respect." She reiterated to Nami.

"Anything else?" Nami asked desperately. Lumina had to stop herself snorting, the girl had acted like she wasn't interested and was now saying that his respect wasn't enough!

"Erm... sure...he said he could really uh... fall for you." Lumina lied, Nami's face lit up and she started mumbling incoherently before walking off quickly into her own room. Lumina heard the lock click. She sighed, she felt a little guilty lying and realised this was exactly why she shouldn't get into other people's business, but she really wanted to encourage Nami. Besides she had seemed really happy, and a little white lie couldn't hurt... could it?

Lumina found Rock already sitting in her room, going through her clothes drawers. Lumina frowned slightly at his lack of respect for her privacy, but the frown was soon replaced with a smirk as Rock lifted up one of her T-shirts to study it.

"See anything you like?" She asked with an out-of-interest tone. Rock jumped and hurriedly pushed the shirt back into the drawer. "Cos you know I could lend you something..."

"Erm... I'm fine... but I'll let you know..." He replied, walking over to greet her with a hug.

"Good day?" She asked, rotating her index finger to tell him to turn around while she changed. She slipped on her PJs and snuggled down into bed.

"Yes and no, I went for a walk and went to give Muffy a flower, she liked it, but I don't think she likes me... in that way." He sighed." What do I do, Lu?"

"Well... do you know who she likes, I seem to be playing matchmaker so maybe I could set them up?" She offered with a small sigh. Rock shrugged. "Helpful."

"So who else are you matchmaking?" Rock asked casually, pulling the duvet from his own bed over himself.

"Well... Nami and Gustafa..."

"NAMI AND GUSTAFA?" Rock exclaimed loudly, his eyes widening comically. Lumina frowned and looked at him inquiringly.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Well they just seem like an odd couple, besides how are you gonna set Nami up, she's so... Nami." He said, shrugging for lack of a better description.

"I'm aware of that, but they're both free spirits, besides Nami really likes Gustafa and he's well... oblivious. But you know what, I think I gave Nami a little more confidence today." Lumina told him proudly, a little smile forming on her rose pink lips.

"Oh god Lumina, what did you do?" He asked worriedly, running a hand nervously through his hair.

"Well... I just told her that he said he could really fall for her..." She said quietly.

"That doesn't sound like Gustafa... he didn't say that, did he?" He asked, one eyebrow raised. He had seen right through her lie, unlike Nami.

"Well no... but... but I wanted her to have more confidence, I mean who's it going to hurt?" She said with an innocent shrug, sounding calm although she was panicking inside.

"Uh... I don't know... Nami, what if she makes too big a move!"

"It's Nami, she won't, she'll just come on a little stronger, which is a good thing!" She protested, praying that she was right. Rock sighed and rolled over in bed.

"You'd better be right."

"Yeah." She gulped.

The next day Lumina had an entire day off for once and was walking over the bridge above the little stream. The stream was beautiful, absolutely clear and filled with fish that she was told were delicious if caught. She closed her eyes and listened to the babbling sound of the stream, making its way towards the sea. Even in winter the little stream continued to fight its way down to the ocean, ignoring the frigid weather. On that though Lumina shivered, it really was cold, especially as she didn't own a thick coat, she only owned three outfits and two of those were the same. This fact did not make her unlike the other townspeople as they seemed to wear the exact same outfit each day too. She was therefore freezing, wearing her little cotton shirt, a small orange and yellow scarf and a pair of fades blue jeans, not to mention her small pink trainers froze her toes so she thought she might get frost bite.

But despite the cold Lumina continued walking through the valley, the scenery was worth it. What with the pure white snow tumbling and spinning down to the ground like ballet dancers dressed all in white and the way that the snow formed on the ground like a layer of icing sugar. Even the trees were coated in white snow in exchange for the leaves they had lost in autumn, they now remained bare but still living. The sky was a smooth purple-grey colour, like a large layer of smoke swirling up in the sky. Other scenery that Lumina took particular note of was Marlin working in the fields. She found herself almost drooling, saliva freezing as it left her mouth. She hurried over, trying to suppress the huge grin emerging on her face.

"Hey Marlin!" She exclaimed, running towards him a little too quickly, she slipped on some ice and lost her balance. Next moment she found herself laying in the snow uncomfortably on her back, which was still aching from the impact of the fall. "Owww," she groaned. Marlin came running over to her and quickly helped her up.

"You okay?" He asked nervously once she was safely on her feet. Lumina blushed bright red, the colour of Santa Claus' outfit, oh the embarrassment.

"_Great Lumina, just great, could you make more of a fool of yourself?" _She cursed herself mentally.

"Yeah, yeah, just you know, slipped on the erm... ice... so anyway, how goes the planting?" She asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Uh it doesn't... it's the middle of winter, all the potatoes are already planted..." He pointed out. Obviously she could make a bigger fool of herself. She slapped herself mentally and flushed red again.

"Of...course they are." She sighed and rubbed her back, offering him an embarrassed smile.

"Well... you should go home and rest." He told her, he sounded as though he was trying to get rid of her. But after her display she couldn't blame him, she also knew he was intensely shy and was a little nervous of talking to her.

"Yeah probably." She replied with a sigh. Just then Vesta came towards them, not that they couldn't spot her a mile away with the flaming red hair.

"Well hey there Lumina, stopping by are you, want to come in for a warm drink?" Vesta asked immediately, she on the other hand was not in the least bit shy.

"Erm," she glanced over at Marlin to get an idea of if he wanted her to stay or not. His face remained neutrally broody. "Sure why not?"

"Good, good, well I've gotta go over to Mineral town, but Marlin will gladly make you a drink. Won't you Marlin?" Vesta asked with a sparkle in her eye. Neither of them knew it but Vesta knew about Lumina's little crush on her brother and was trying to set them up. This was part of her genius plan, after all, Marlin would be too shy to ask her himself. Even though he was quite a bit older, Vesta could see it working, what did age matter anyway? Besides, Marlin hadn't had a relationship since... since _her_... and he didn't look like he was any closer to finding a wife? And he wasn't getting any younger. Besides, how was he going to find a wife when he doted on Celia so much? Brotherly affection of course, as far as Vesta could tell.

"Uh... sure." Marlin agreed, before leading Lumina inside. He made them both a mug of sweet herbal tea and they sat down at the table.

"How are you, Marlin?" Lumina asked, trying desperately to make conversation.

"I'm not too good." He replied. Well there's a surprise... "Vesta keeps mentioning the fact that I am wifeless, it's not like she has a husband."

"Well she's a strong woman who probably isn't thinking about a husband until she's furthered her career." Lumina told him, she wasn't going to admit that she was quoting a magazine she's once found Romana reading. "But you... are you thinking of marriage?" She tried to make her voice sound as casual as possible.

"Not really..." He said with a shrug.

"Oh!" Lumina squeaked, she then took a quick sip of tea when Marlin gave her a look. She then repeated herself calmly. "I mean, oh."

"Well, I haven't really though of marriage in a while... not since her..." He told her his eyes downcast.

"Her?" Lumina asked, leaning forwards on the table with intrigue. Marlin nodded. "Will you tell me?" He looked up at her with innocent, crystal blue eyes.

"You... you want to hear?" He asked, sounding surprised. "I mean, I've only ever told Vesta and Celia.

"Well you can tell me, I mean... if you want to..." She offered kindly, although she really wanted to know herself.

"Yeah... well it was all back in my school days, before we left for the valley, she was the most amazingly beautiful, yet shallow girl. We were engaged to be married and were living together, and I loved her so much. I thought she loved me too." He said coldly, anger raging in his eyes. "One day, when I walked into our bedroom I found her... I found her..." The images flashed through his mind cruelly, they still tortured him after all these years. "She was having an affair."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, it was better I find out then. I just, couldn't get over it for a long time, but now, I'm just about... healing." Marlin told her. It felt strange to let all of this out, but somehow Lumina seemed so bright and so caring that he wanted to tell her.

"That's good, but you're still not thinking of marriage?" She checked, hoping this was not the case.

"Well, there's this girl, who's... so special..." He began, feeling he could open up more and more. A slight blush was creeping onto his face. "I haven't told anyone this, but I feel I can tell you."

Lumina's heart began thumping hard in her chest, could this girl be her?

"Does she live in the valley?" Lumina asked hopefully, her eyes wide, maybe he'd admit to loving her.

"Erm... n... yes, but she's just so kind and sweet and..." Was it just her or was he leaning in closer?

"And?" Lumina asked, breathing hard, enthralled by the passion in his voice.

Just then Celia walked in.

"Hey everyone, my, isn't it cold out there! Hey Marlin! Hey Lumina!" She said happily, smiling broadly at both of them. Marlin's eyes lit up as Celia walked in, watching her closely. Lumina frowned, he looked as if he was pretending to be cold-hearted again, after all, he'd let a lot of information out to her, he probably felt uncomfortable.

"Hi Celia..." Marlin said, smiling. Celia nodded and switched her gaze to Lumina, beaming at her kindly. Her mysterious grey-brown eyes surveyed her as her very pale pink lips smiles. She was wearing her usual clothes and was probably a lot warmer than Lumina, she wore a long sleeved leaf-green shirt that went to the bottom of her neck and a simple grey skirt with an olive green inner lining with a yellow and gold striped apron covering her entire front, to keep dirt off her clothes. Yet as always she looked pretty, her brown hair cascading from her orange woollen hat like a fountain, thick and shining.

"Are you staying for dinner?" She asked kindly. Lumina shook her head, her alone time with Marlin was ruined after all.

"That's a shame," she said sincerely. "We hope to see you soon."

"I'm sure you will." Lumina replied, looking in particular at Marlin, before walking out of the door. She was walking out when she walked into a grinning Muffy.

"Hey, is Marlin in, I brought him a hot toddy, you know, for his illness." She said brightly.

"_Is it just me, or is she wearing extra makeup?" _Lumina asked herself.

"Yeah he's in there," she told Muffy.

"Oh good, isn't he just adorable!" Muffy giggled, about to walk in.

"Muffy... do you... do you like Marlin?" Lumina asked, her eyes wide in panic. Muffy giggled and blushed.

"Oh is it that obvious? Well of course it is, hope he realises, men can be so dense." She said with a musical laugh, before entering. The door slammed behind her and Lumina sunk to the floor listening to the conversation.

"Oh crap." She said softly, slamming her fist on the cold ground. What chance did she have against Muffy?


	5. Conspiracies and a Whole New Year

Thanks again guys for reviewing, you're all my muses!

But now, how about some more depression eh? Sound good?

* * *

5. Conspiracies and a Whole New Year

"What chance do I have against Muffy, Rock?" Lumina demanded as she sat opposite the blonde boy on her bed. Their slumber parties had become a common thing and they were safely known as best friends throughout the Valley.

"About as much chance as I have against Marlin," Rock replied with a sigh. Lumina bit her lip and remained silent. "You know, you could interpret that in either way depending on your opinion of me, so if you think that I'm a stud and could so win Muffy's heart, then hey, you have every chance of winning Marlin, partly because I knock Muffy out of the race. However if you think I'm well... not a stud, then you have no chance."

"Yeah, that's why it's not helpful. Getting Muffy out of the running, that would be helpful." She told him, biting her lip thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and getting Marlin out of the running would help me," Rock said with a shrug.

"It seems to me that we want the same thing."

"Not really, Marlin's not my type..." Rock said, shaking his head. Lumina heaved an exasperated sigh and shook her head quickly.

"No, listen. We both want Marlin and Muffy away from each other, so all we have to do is convince one not to like the other. Simple." Lumina explained, smiling proudly at her plan.

"Says you. How exactly do you plan to do this?" He asked. Lumina opened her mouth to speak, then closed it.

"I don't know." She sighed. Rock shrugged and began pacing.

"Ah well, for now let's just focus on planning the New Year's party?" He suggested, continuing to pace.

"Yeah," Lumina said absent-mindedly watching Rock's pacing, mesmerised. "What? Wait a second, that's being held _here_?"

"Yeah, we can't have it at the mansion this year, so we pretty much have to help with the party." He told her, as though this was obvious.

"Damn!" She cursed angrily.

"Do ladies use such words?" Rock asked in a mock posh accent. Lumina scowled at him and lay front down on the bed, resting her head on her petite hand.

"How are we going to split Muffy and Marlin _and _sort out the New Year's party in _two _days?" She asked. Rock shrugged again and snuggled into bed, yawning.

"It'll work out somehow." He said calmly, closing his eyes peacefully.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Lumina demanded her voice filled with stress. Rock made a noise that sounded a bit like "I don't know". She then heard his breathing calm, he'd fallen asleep. She mentally cursed him and snuggled into bed. She rolled over, unable to get herself comfortable. She was the only one who's sleep was uneasy that night.

The next day they set about planning the New Years party, or at least trying to. Unfortunately they kept procrastinating and joking about the plans. They had tried to decide what they would eat and in the end a leprechaun had been seen as the best meal, they had even planned how they would capture it and cook it, stewed in cheap Irish beer.

"This isn't working." Lumina pointed out eventually, pulling off the paper from the pad that Rock had drawn on for her, which she only just discovered had "farm girl" written on the back.

"No... Ah well, do you wanna go for a walk?" He asked calmly, stretching out on the chair he was sitting on.

"We don't have time, we need to get serious!" She protested, but really she knew it was a good idea. Her mind was buzzing and focussing on other things, things that weren't the party. "Fine, let's go."

Rock didn't ask for the reason she had submitted, but simply followed her outside. They didn't walk very far and ended up on the beach, where they sat, gazing at the grey-blue sky. Lumina was silent, her mind going wild, she had to be going crazy. Lately a strange madness had drifted upon her and her mind kept focussing on the same thought: what if Romana had been murdered?

"You're quiet. What are you thinking about?" Rock asked, glancing at her thoughtful stare. She remained pretty still, her deep brown eyes clouded with thoughts, and by the frown on her face Rock could tell they weren't happy ones. She sighed and looked at him carefully, as though trying to decide if she could trust him.

"Okay," she said eventually, her eyes returning to take in the rolling waves of the ocean, roaring like a hungry lion, desperate to ravage the sand. "Lately I've been thinking... now don't say I'm crazy okay... but I think, I think Romana was murdered."

She expected Rock to laugh, but he just stared blankly at her, she was beginning to wonder if he'd heard her. A minute later he looked genuinely confused, his straw coloured eyebrows knotted together.

"Why?" He asked, he didn't sound condescending at all, just curious. This gave Lumina the courage to continue. She stood up and began to pace the golden sand in front of them.

"See I think my parents were murdered too. It all seems so, so coincidental, too coincidental to be cast away. I mean, my parents, Romana never mentioned how they died, she just said they were found dead and that their bodies were... covered with blood. But when I asked Sebastian, he said the police told them that there had been a car crash, as they had been found in their vehicle, which had been badly messed up. But apparently it was the strangest thing... the car was just sitting in our driveway." She explained, her eyes darkening with sadness. Her frown had become deeper, as she recalled the pain of losing her parents.

She had only been two when it happened, too young to remember all the details. It was all so much of a blur and she hadn't really understood what had happened until later. She had been in bed, asleep when she'd been pulled roughly out of bed by Romana. She had told her to put on a coat and that they were going to live at her house for a while. As a young, inquisitive child does, Lumina questioned her, but she received no answers. Not until later had she been told that her parents were dead. But she couldn't remember anything before Romana had picked her up, yet she was sure she had been awake but cowering under the covers in bed. She couldn't seem to lift the fog in her mind, the one that hid all the answers she needed.

"Then," she began again, blinking away the tiny tears that were appearing in her eyes. "Romana, she died. I saw her body, it wasn't covered in blood or anything, but... but there was something wrong. I could feel it as soon as I entered the mansion... then I saw her. They said she had died in her sleep, but she was lying down, not even under the duvet. It was like, she had suddenly collapsed." She cast her mind back; there had been a look of shock on her Grandmother's face. "But Hardy told us there was no sign of a heart attack, in fact she had had a very strong heart. It... it just doesn't add up."

"No... It does sound very odd. It's like a murder mystery." Rock exclaimed, with a little too much enthusiasm.

Lumina ignored him and continued. "Also, isn't it a little too convenient that Romana left in her will, the person with the key, it was so vague. Anyone who had seen the will would have realised that if they had the key then they had her fortune. All they had to do was kill off my parents and take the key, then the money was theirs. Then, when Romana wasn't dying quickly enough they... they..." She shuddered. She had lost so many people she loved, all for the pursuit of money. She burst into tears, falling on her hands and knees on the sand. "Had they asked I would have given them the key, rather than let anyone die!"

Rock looked solemnly at her, at first he wasn't sure what to think with her conspiracy theory, but he figured he'd let her go along with it, who didn't love a good conspiracy theory? He hadn't realised it but at one point, she'd started to make sense. All her points, they could be plausible. He looked at the small girl and made up his mind.

"I'll help you find out who did it." He promised her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She gazed up at him with big, hopeful brown eyes. "You believe me?"

"Of course, and even if I didn't... this valley is dull, this'll just spice things up a little." He told her with a smile and a wink. She managed a grateful smile back, he was going to help her.

"Thank you." She told him quietly, squeezing his hand gently.

They were about to leave when she saw Marlin walk onto the beach looking thoughtful, Lumina's eyes seemed to lock onto him like a heat seeker. Rock spotted what she was so focused on and nodded.

"Oh," he said with a mischievous grin. "Well I'm going to go finish planning the party. You stay here and... erm... relax."

She laughed slightly and watched as he left the beach. Her eyes suddenly widened, realising what a total mess she must look. She wiped her eyes quickly and sniffed, sorting out her hair a little and rubbing the sand from her jeans. She then sidled up to Marlin with a slight smile.

"Hey Marlin," she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him, much good it did, he continued to stare out to the sea.

"I don't know if I love her as a friend or as more." He said, jumping straight to the case. Lumina shrugged, well if he was talking about her then she might as well help.

"Well... what's she like?" She asked, smiling, this was her perfect way of finding out whether it was her or not.

"Perfect..." He said dreamily. She sighed, feeling a little exasperated, that wasn't helpful.

"No but... what do you like about her?"

"Everything." Way to be vague.

"Yes... but what are her qualities that make you like her?" She asked again, trying to stay calm.

"All of them." She now felt ready to scream, she really wanted to hit him... shame she liked him so much.

"Oh for..." She shouted her teeth gritted. She then realised how he was staring at her funnily, and she calmed herself down. "Oh for...get about anyone else, she sounds like the one." She corrected herself. She then added. "Any specifics?"

"Well she's so intelligent." Check. "beautiful." Check. "radiant." Check... but not helpful. "And strong." Check, this little speech was doing wonders for her ego.

"Sounds perfect." Lumina agreed, now sure he was talking about her.

"Yeah, but there's an age gap..." He pointed out. Her heart skipped a beat, now she knew he was talking about her!

"Oh what does age matter when it comes to love? I think you should tell her how you feel!" Lumina encouraged him, maybe he'd tell her right then.

"You're right... Lumina... I..."

"Yes..."

"Lumina, I just had the best idea for the party, mistletoe! It's just genius, I mean... fun right. Imagine the potential mayhem!" Rock said, bounding towards them happily. Lumina's eyes widened in rage, he was not going to ruin her moment! Oh but she was being selfish... it wasn't just her moment, it was Marlin's too.

"Wow," she said through gritted teeth, trying to keep her cool. "You know, that sounds great Rock, I'll think about it. Why don't you go to the inn and I'll meet you there in a minute, kay?"

"But..." Rock began, but Lumina gave him a meaningful look. "See you there."

Lumina watched him scurry of into the distance before turning to Marlin sweetly.

"What were you saying?" She asked innocently, clasping her hands behind her back. She was so nervous, she was so young and had never been close to a boy before. Living in the valley there weren't many opportunities, she'd never even kissed a boy before and she was eighteen! Marlin probably had tons of experience; she hoped she wouldn't be a bad kisser! But this was it, she felt her heart pounding in her chest, her body waiting for his words. Gosh she hoped he'd kiss her after he told her that he loved her. Why wouldn't he? They were on a beach, it was the perfect romantic moment.

"Lumina... I..." Her heart was pounding. "I want to thank you for listening to me and helping me." Lumina's face fell... anti-climax.

"You're welcome... anytime." She said sadly, trying not to sound too downtrodden that he hadn't told her yet. He had obviously backed out at the last minute from shyness, it was understandable.

Marlin looked at Lumina curiously, why did he get the idea that that wasn't what he was supposed to say? Women, they were too confusing, probably better left alone. But then there was Celia... she was different, she was comfortable. She was like his best friend, and although she had mood swings, she could always be counted on to be sweet and caring. But he knew Celia really well, she was like his sister. But Lumina seemed a little upset and why had she had that dreamy expression on her face? Did she feel the same way... about beaches? They really had a lovely romantic atmosphere; that had probably given her the dreamy look.

"So, did he admit his true feelings?" Rock asked as Lumina entered the kitchen.

"No!" She said in a huff, seating herself angrily on a stool and hearing it creak in complaint. "He got too nervous!"

"Ah... he chickened out." Lumina nodded. "Well maybe he'll admit his feelings at the party... up for the mistletoe?"

"No... What if Marlin and Muffy end up kissing by mistake?"

A look of jealousy flashed across Rock's face. "No mistletoe."

"Check, no mistletoe. So, decorations: fairy lights and other such candles, romantic right?" Lumina suggested, cupping her face in her hands and leaning over on the table. Rock nodded and wrote it down in blue ink on the little notebook in front of him.

"Okay and food... we need all the veggies from Vesta's farm and Mom can make some grub with added Ruby spice!" Rock said cheerily, he did love his mother's cooking.

"Marlin will grow the veggies... he's a provider that way..." Lumina said dreamily, she was well and truly crushed.

"Of course..." Rock said, rolling his eyes. "But anyway, we can get booze from Blue bar, maybe some moon trips and red punches. Maybe we could get the lovely and amazing Muffy to whip us up some very festive cocktails!"

Lumina sighed and looked into Rock's eyes, the colour of crisp autumn leaves that fell to the ground. "We are so... smitten. Smitten kittens…"

"Yeah, but we'll get the girl..." Rock began, but Lumina coughed. "Or guy in the end."

"I sure hope so, if only Marlin weren't so shy..." She said softly.

"Tell him how you feel." Rock said with a shrug and Lumina turned a bright shade of red.

"I couldn't do that!" She exclaimed, looking both shocked and embarrassed at the idea.

"Why not?" Rock asked, with a questioning look on his face. Lumina opened her mouth to answer but Rock opened his mouth in realisation. "Oh, you think because you're a lady it wouldn't be proper!"

"Exactly!" Lumina said with relief; that had gotten her out of that tight spot.

Rock snorted. "So! It's not like it's the 1800's anymore... yes I know history." He said in reply to Lumina's scathing look. "But women can take a role in telling the men, go tell him!"

"Tell you what, I'll tell him my feelings if you tell Muffy yours." She told him, eyebrows raised.

"I... I'm uh... waiting for New Year's!" He stuttered, then he smirked victoriously.

"Fine," Lumina replied nonchalantly, "then I will tell Marlin on New Year's Eve."

"Fine,"

"Fine,"

"Then it's a deal," Rock said, holding out his hand.

Lumina took it and shook it. "Deal."

After discussing the preparations for the party Lumina walked to the beach and sat on the cool sand gazing at the twinkling stars. She breathed in the salty sea air and immediately felt calm. She heard an audible sigh in the vicinity and glanced around quickly. She cocked her head and squinted, standing up and heading to where the sound had come from.

She spotted Nami sitting outside Gustafa's hut, gazing at it longingly. She surveyed the red head for a moment. Her blood red hair was rather short and fell like the curtains at a theatre around her head. She wore the most casual clothes, perfect for a quick getaway Lumina supposed. She wore an orange short sleeved t-shirt with a blue sleeveless jacket with a checked design. On her thin, pale legs she wore baggy white shorts and on her feet she wore casual blue trainers. She was the perfect image of a casual city kid. As Lumina came closer she spotted slight tears in her ocean blue eyes.

"Hey Nami," she said softly, approaching Nami nervously. She quickly dried her eyes and turned to face her, looking rather defensive.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Nami told her gruffly, Lumina shook her head, she knew better than to be hurt by Nami's words.

"How are things with Gustafa?" She asked gently. Nami's eyes widened in pain and she looked to the ground, her hair covering her face for the most part.

"Who said there are supposed to be things with Gustafa?" Nami sniffed and Lumina raised her eyebrows. So Nami was trying to avoid a conversation?

"Not so good huh?" Nami was silent. "Well there's obviously a reason you're crying, right next to Gustafa's hut. Which let's face it, no one would stand right next to a hut that bright and blind themselves without a very good reason." Lumina had attempted a joke, she should have known Nami wouldn't laugh.

"What's it to you?" Nami asked, but Lumina refused to be put off. She cautiously stepped nearer and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder, wondering if Nami would turn around and bite her or something. But instead Nami cried harder.

"Shhh, it's okay. Let's sit down and you can tell me all about it, okay?" Lumina told her softly, sitting down and pulling Nami down with her.

"He doesn't like me, every time I see him he's so... distant. He's never acted like he loves me!" Nami told her. Lumina had to stop herself laughing, Nami seemed to have the same romantic thoughts as she did.

"Oh Nami, I'm no good at this. I mean, I'm awful at realising how guys should act towards me. But the way I figure it, he's not gonna suddenly tell you he loves you and bring you into his arms. You just have to I dunno... tell him how you feel. Or just spend time with him." Lumina suggested. In truth she knew no more about this than Nami, she wasn't worldly wise anyway, that was supposed to be Nami. She wasn't relationship wise either, that was Muffy. She wasn't even plant wise like Celia, but she was trying to help and she guessed that was something.

"So you gonna be okay?" She asked and Nami nodded. "Okay, good then I'll see you at the New Year's party tomorrow night."

Nami remained silent until Lumina began to walk away, until she eventually said: "Lumina?"

"Yes Nami?" Lumina asked, turning round to look at the red head who was standing up.

"You tell anyone about this and I will make your life a living hell." She promised sinisterly.

Lumina just laughed. "I know, Nami."

"Good." Then she added as an afterthought. "And thanks."

"It's nothing."

On the night of the party Lumina was sitting on the stairs of the inn looking glumly at the decorations. Everyone seemed to be drinking and having fun, save for her. Marlin still hadn't arrived. The house was beautifully decorated, shining tea lights decorated the room, brightening it with their luminescence. Wild Amorous flowers made into chains decorated the room and released their sweet perfume smell. Yet still Lumina's golden eyes remained hopefully on the door.

"An hour till midnight!" Rock told her as he approached, Muffy had already arrived but he had avoided her up till now.

"When are you gonna tell her?" Lumina asked curiously, the sooner Muffy was taken out of the running the sooner Marlin would be all hers.

"As soon as midnight hits, I'm gonna kiss her." He told her smugly.

"A little ambitious don't you think?" Lumina asked. Rock shook his head.

"Not at all, what better way to tell her how I feel?"

"Uh... chocolates and flowers with a card saying "I love you"?" She suggested.

"Nah, this is better." Rock assured her, rubbing his hands together nervously. Lumina smiled slightly and ran a hand through her chestnut hair.

"As long as you're sure." She glanced as the door swung open and she heaved a sigh of relief; it was Marlin.

"Uh, left late," he explained, noting that Celia had already arrived. Lumina beamed at him and walked over, her plan was to take him somewhere quiet to talk. How would she do that? Perhaps she could suggest getting him a drink...

"Oh Marlin," Muffy squealed. "You've finally arrived, baby, hey I gotta talk to you. Follow me." Marlin shrugged and followed the blonde into the room. Lumina fumed, she was not taking this away from her. She hurried to find Rock who was eating an entire bowl of chilli veggies.

"Rock, what are you doing?" She demanded, watching him wolf down the rest of the bowl and follow it with a moon trip.

"Getting rid of my nerves." He explained, grabbing another moon trip.

"Well if you don't hurry up Marlin and Muffy'll be together before you get the chance. They're talking in the other room." She told him urgently, his eyes widened and he gulped in some air.

"Right... let's go then. Wait... what's the time?" He asked quickly, Lumina looked at the clock in the main hall.

"Five minutes till midnight, we'd better hurry."

They marched quickly around the place looking for Muffy and Marlin, searching high and low.

"Times ticking Rock, we've got to find them." Lumina told him, looking at the clock, they only had two minutes left.

"We haven't checked Nami's room yet..."

"They wouldn't dare go in there, would they?"

"Most private room!" Rock told her before hurrying up the stairs. They heard the chanting of the people below and felt their hearts beat quickly.

"5..."

"4..."

Rock thrust open the door and found Muffy leaning forward to kiss Marlin.

"3..."

"2..."

Lumina gaped wide eyed as Marlin pushed Muffy gently away and looking apologetic.

"1..."

"Damn it." Lumina and Rock cried together, it was too late. The perfect moment was completely ruined. Muffy ran out of the room crying and Marlin quickly followed to apologise.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone shouted and clapping followed. Lumina and Rock exchanged glances as they walked dejectedly out of Nami's room and over to Lumina's.

"Happy New Year, Lumina," Rock sighed.

"Yeah, Happy New Year." Lumina replied as they hugged each other, comforting each other in their depression.

"There's always next year," Rock suggested.

"You mean tomorrow?"

"I mean next New Year." He told her, after that experience it would take another year to build up the courage. Lumina giggled slightly as they sat on the bed.

"Carpe diem, Rock,"

"What?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows and wondering if she had sneezed. She sighed and then smiled.

"Seize the day."

"Oh."


	6. Stranger and Stranger

Thank you to the reviewers (I think I'm gonna end up thanking you guys every single chapter... but what can I say... it's how my parents raised me...):

These very kind, esteemed reviewers are: **PhoenixAvenger II, Chicken Yuki, Nellas Elendil, like red on a rose, barleyawake, Awesome Rapidash - **Thank you guys alot.

Thanks also to everyone reading this... and sorry about the confusing plot lines... my mind is strange.

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6. Stranger and Stranger

The next morning Lumina crawled out of bed, her hair a mess and her eyes bleary. She felt a little hung-over but she found her footing on the rug on the floor anyway. She gazed into the mirror and groaned at her reflection, jumping slightly at the image before her. She checked Rock was still asleep and reached into her wardrobe for a nice, fluffy towel. She definitely needed a wash and since there was no shower at the inn she grabbed a bar of soap and headed off to the waterfall. She was still wearing her bunny pyjamas and checked that no one else was around to see her; that could be embarrassing.

She breathed in the fresh spring air, how she loved the spring, the air was sweet and mild and the ground was still cool beneath her bare feet. There were a few white downy clouds in the sky, that looked like the wings of magnificent white birds, but other than that the sky was pure, light blue. The snow had melted on the grass and lay as a thin layer of sparkling dew, like tiny diamonds spread across the fresh green grass. Luminous green Goddess Drop flowers had popped up like zombies on the ground, ready to dance in the wind until the summer arrived. Likewise Toy flowers had sprung from the ground to join the Goddess Drops. Lumina adored the spring, the weather was perfect and the animals were so cute, other than the fact that they were acting all "lovey dovey". After having no luck with Marlin their chipper, smitten attitudes made her sick.

She found herself at the waterfall, the water rushing down from the rocks like a stampede of tiny horses. As the cool water hit the surface of the clear pond below she was sprayed with small, shimmering water droplets. She undressed quickly, making sure there were no witnesses and slid into the pond. She enjoyed the coolness of the water against her skin and then leant back against the waterfall, the pressure on her head like a massage. How she had missed bathing in the pond, when the winter came the water became far too cold, so she had to haul buckets in if she wanted a bath and heat them over the stove. She scrubbed herself clean, watching as the soap bubbles travelled down the stream and into the sea. She then closed her eyes and slid into the water, leaning back against the rocks.

"And this is where Carter and Flora work, they're archaeologists, so if you want to help out with the dig come here, you can keep all the finds that they don't need." She heard Takakura's voice travel to her from the tent. Her eyes fluttered open to find the middle aged, tall man with bushy eyebrows standing next to a completely new face. She almost had a heart attack; she was _naked_ in the slightly clear pond. She watched them cautiously, hoping that they wouldn't spot her. She watched as Takakura knocked... somehow... on the tent door, it made a slight muffled sound against the fabric.

"Hello, who is it?" Came Flora's musical voice. She stood outside and Lumina wondered how she still managed to look so beautiful in the mornings even after sleeping in a tent. Her shining blonde hair fell in rather bushy curly down her back, held in place by a red ribbon at the bottom. She wore her usual green tank top with white shorts and a black belt, perfect for working at the dig site, yet fashionable. She wore big brown boots with thick purple socks pulled up to her knees. She surveyed the new face with her calm, amethyst, bespectacled eyes, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Who might you be?" She asked with curiosity in her voice.

"This is Jack, he's going to start working at his father's old farm. He just moved here today." Takakura answered for him. So there was a new farmer eh? How interesting. He nodded to show that this was true and turned to face the pond, it was then Lumina got a good look at him. He was, admittedly, very handsome. He had deep chestnut eyes that matched his thick, rather messy cocoa hair. He had a perfect straight nose that filled perfectly with his high cheekbones. His clothes were definitely that of a farmer, he wore a white long sleeved shirt with blue jeans and black britches; to hold them up apparently. He wore big tan coloured boots... his feet were huge! He wore a red neckerchief that matched his black and red gloves with a tiny paw print as design. On his back he wore a tan coloured backpack that seemed to match his boots. While she was surveying him Lumina hadn't seemed to notice that he was surveying her too... her rather naked self.

He furrowed his dark eyebrows. "Is this the Harvest Goddess?"

Takakura glanced at Lumina who blushed bright red, unable to speak. "Uh no, Jack this is Lumina, she was obviously taking a morning bathe. Why don't we go and meet all the other town members and I'll introduce you two later."

Lumina silently thanked Takakura as she nodded, this moment had been embarrassing enough. Jack nodded and followed Takakura down the path and Lumina breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly checked no one was watching and skipped out to dry off and change behind a tree.

When Lumina arrived at the inn everyone was buzzing about the new farmer, but Lumina remained silent, save to say that their meeting was not one she'd forget very soon. She explained to Rock who laughed and comforted her by telling her at least he had thought she was the goddess.

"I'd better go and say hi, maybe make a better impression this time." She suggested before heading over to the farm. She found the farmer, who she guessed was around twenty-two years old, gazing out at his fields.

"Hey," she said shyly as he turned to smile at her.

"Well hey there, you must be Lumina. We sort of met earlier." He laughed as she flushed red.

"Sort of, but not properly, so I'm here to introduce myself now. I live down at the inn, with Ruby, Tim and Rock." She explained, flashing him a small smile.

"Ah yes they told me, they said that your Grandmother died. My father recently died too and Takakura suggested I take over the farm. So here I am achieving my farming dream." He told her, looking over the farm as he spoke.

"Well good luck, if you need anything just call for me at the inn, okay?" She told him and he nodded, smiling with gratitude.

Lumina walked away smiling, _"that hadn't gone as badly as expected." _

As she arrived at the inn door she spotted Muffy crying out by the vegetable patch, Lumina sighed and decided to go and check if she was okay.

"Hi Muffy," she said, rather more bitterly than she had meant to. Muffy looked up at her with tear filled, emerald eyes and Lumina instantly regretted hating the blonde beauty.

Muffy sniffed and tried to smile, "Hey."

"What's up Muffy?" She asked, stepping closer. Muffy looked at her sadly, trails of black mascara smudges down her face.

"Oh it's just, it's... nothing." Muffy looked as though she was trying to hold it in.

Lumina shrugged, she would really rather get back to the inn anyway. "Okay then."

"It's Marlin!" Muffy burst out. "He doesn't like me back. He loves someone else!"

Lumina's eyes widened with interest. "Who?" Suddenly she was intrigued.

"I don't know, he didn't tell me. I'm so over him now!" Muffy told her drying her tears.

"You'll find someone else." Lumina said awkwardly, patting her back a little.

Muffy smiled suddenly and looked happy. "I'm okay now." She said in a suddenly chirpy voice.

"Really?" Lumina asked as if to imply that Muffy really wasn't.

"Really, did you see the new guy, he was cute! Wow, do you think he likes me?" Muffy asked, like an excited schoolgirl.

"You're kidding, you're over him _that _fast?!" Lumina asked astounded.

"Yup! Now I like the farmer, I hope he comes to the bar. Thanks Lumina, it felt better to get that off my chest!" Muffy told her and with that she entered the bar. Lumina stood still, jaw agape, it was that easy for her?

She shrugged and headed into the inn to find Rock, she found him playing wars with an apple and an orange.

"DIE! DIE! DIE!" He shouted, shoving the orange and apple together. He spotted Lumina and quickly put the fruit down. "Hey Lumina."

"Hey Rock, guess what?" She didn't even bother waiting for an answer. "Muffy's over Marlin already!"

"So I have a shot?" He asked hopefully.

"Uh... no." His smile faded. "She likes the farmer guy now... how did she get over that so quickly?"

Rock shrugged. "Muffy rolls with the punches."

"I wish I could get over him that fast, arghh. Let's focus on other things? Wanna come with me to question people about my Grandmother's untimely death?" She asked casually.

"Well I wouldn't call it untimely... but sure why not? Can we stop by Blue bar on the way back?"

"Why not!"

"Cool, I'm there."

They decided to start with the Vivo family, which was truly a daunting thought as they considered the entire family to be a little... well... mad. The family consisted of Wally who was overly sporty and competitive, his eyes seemed to shine when he was running down the street and pretending to race all of the passers by. He was a complete adrenaline addict and Lumina was sure that he had never once just sat down and relaxed. His son Hugh took after him completely and was equally scarily competitive, he was a hyper youth who was always buzzing, seeming to be on caffeine all the time. Then there was Chris, she seemed rather ordinary, the typical secretary type, aside from the fact that in her spare time she was a fortune teller. Lumina shuddered as she and Rock stood outside the worn looking wooden door, debating whether to enter or not.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go in." Rock encouraged, she noticed that he seemed to back up as he said this.

She shook her head quickly. "No you go first."

"Are you crazy? Wally will make me exercise!" He protested, standing firm as Lumina tried to push him towards the door. "And I like my flabby gut!" He whined.

"Let's come back tomorrow!" She suggested, she tried to walk away but Rock held her shirt to prevent her.

"Nuh-uh, come on!" Rock said, knocking the door quickly and pushing Lumina in front of it. She had barely registered what had happened when Chris opened the door, smiling jovially.

"Ah Lumina, Rock. Come on in, I'll get you some herbal tea shall I? It's good for the body!" Chris told them as she beckoned for them to follow her in. They sat down at a small and rather uncomfortable table while Chris fixed the tea. Lumina surveyed the room in horror, various sports equipment lay around: a treadmill, dumbbells, weights and a rowing machine. She bit her lip and spotted something new, a very expensive looking machine.

"What's that?" She asked Chris, pointing out the strange contraption. Chris' sparkling blue eyes focused on the machine and she beamed.

"_That _is the sportinator three thousand, it does _everything_! It tones every muscle and builds them, it even tests the brain by quizzing you while you exercise. It's amazing!" She gushed, surveying the apparatus with pride. Lumina frowned, that sounded like a huge waste of money, why not buy a piano instead? But she decided to humour the lady.

"Yes, it is wonderful," she spotted Rock's shocked look. "How did you afford such a machine, it looks expensive..."

Chris flicked back her short ginger-blonde hair and her thin-rimmed spectacles fell to her nose as she smiled a secretive smile. "Now that's a big secret!"

"Bank robbery?" Rock questioned in a shocked tone. Chris shook her head quickly.

"No of course not! Fine I'll tell you, we used the money left to us in Romana's will!"

"Ah, so you're the one who had the key and inherited _my _fortune!" Lumina exclaimed standing up. Chris frowned and shook her head again.

"No, Romana left everyone in town one thousand gold, this just happened to be nine hundred and ninety-nine gold! We spent it all on this marvellous machine!" Chris explained and Lumina sighed.

Rock coughed and it was strange how it sounded something like "rip off". Lumina looked sadly at Chris with imploring eyes.

"You wouldn't happen to know who has the fortune, would you?" She asked hopefully but Chris shook her head.

"Sorry love, I have no idea. But I'll tell you if I see anything unusual, if you like I could take a little peek into my crystal ball..."

"NO! I mean no thank you..." Lumina said quickly, she really wasn't keen on the idea of using magic. If it was even that, it seemed like poppycock to her.

"Suit yourself." Chris said with a shrug. Just then Wally and Hugh came running in, breathing heavily. They were both covered in glistening sweat. Wally ran a hand through his sweaty brown hair and smiled at the guests. Hugh meanwhile ran around pretending to be an aeroplane.

"Ah hello, we have visitors! Have you seen our sportinator three-thousand?" He asked, gesturing to the machine, his already shining eyes seeming to increase in brightness.

"Uh yes, so we're gonna go now." Lumina told him, backing towards the door, Rock following quickly.

"Would you like a go?"

"No but we'd like _to _go!" Rock said quickly running out of the door, Lumina following right behind.

"Alright then," Wally called. "Come back soon." He then added to Chris quietly. "Why do they always run away?"

Lumina and Rock sat on the grass near the turtle swamp, catching their breath after their close escape.

"That was a waste of time." Lumina said with annoyance and Rock shrugged.

"Well at least we know it wasn't them, we can cross them of our list." He said, pulling a notepad and pen from his pocket and crossing out their names. Lumina frowned, she didn't know he had a list!

"So who next?"

Rock surveyed the valley and pointed to the strange poet Cody's house. Lumina's eyes widened, Cody was a perfectly nice guy, but part of the way he looked filled her with anxiety.

She gulped. "Yeah... sure."

"You're not scared, are you?" Rock asked incredulously.

"Me? No! It's just... I don't think it's him..." She lied, her eyes darting quickly from the danger of the poet's house and back to the inn.

"Oh come on Lumina, if you're so afraid of him then there's a chance that he could be the killer. Besides, it's always the ones you don't suspect!" He pointed out, walking towards the strange metal home.

"But... if you suspect him then isn't it less likely to be him?" She asked, following him slowly.

"What? I'm confused... let's go anyway!"

"Fine." Lumina said with a defeated sigh, following him to the "house".

Cody lived in the strangest house of the entire valley, and that was compared even to Gustafa. He lived in a strange looking metal, caravan-looking thing. On the floor around it, instead of grass, there were sheets of dull metal. Rock knocked on the door and his fist made a strange hollow sound against the metal. The door opened, seemingly on its own and Lumina shuddered, this place terrified her.

"Hello?" Rock called into the small hut as he entered. He almost jumped out of his skin when he saw what looked like a frozen woman, with long flowing jade hair and a blue dress. He then spotted the eyes were made of sapphires and he placed his hand on his heart to stop it pounding.

"It's okay Lu, it's just a statue." He told Lumina, who had realised that to begin with. Suddenly Cody appeared from behind the door and both Lumina and Rock jumped.

"Wh... what are you two doing here?" He asked calmly, even though he seemed a little shocked.

"We're um... here to speak to you actually." Lumina told him, unable to keep her eyes off the strange statue.

"I see you've met my muse." He noticed, his dark eyes taking in the statue as though worshipping it.

"Yeah... what _is _that?" Rock asked, making a face. Cody smiled and placed a hand on the shoulder of his "muse".

"It is a statue of the Harvest goddess; I found it in mineral town. Isn't she overwhelmingly beautiful? She inspired me, much like the valley does." He said, breathing in as he told them. Lumina nodded, the statue was lovely, perhaps not as wonderful as he made it out to be, but still lovely.

"Yes, but tell me Cody, you're an artist..." Lumina began.

"An unpaid, so far unsuccessful artist," Rock interrupted rudely. Lumina flushed red, Rock really did like the taste of his own foot in his mouth.

"I'm sorry," she said, on behalf of Rock.

Cody chuckled and shook his head. "Ah, that may be true in the material world, but there are many different types of success. But I am proud of my art and proud of myself, and that in itself is success."

Rock sniggered. "Yeah, okay." Lumina frowned at him, but Cody didn't seem to have taken offence, if he had Lumina couldn't tell as his face formed in a constant frown.

"As I was saying, if you are unpaid, how could you afford to buy such an expensive statue?" She questioned.

"With the money your Grandmother left of course." He told her. "The one thousand gold."

"B...but this looks more expensive!" She protested.

"Yes... I suppose it would be, but I traded one of my more beautiful paintings and the money for it." He told her and she sighed. She hadn't thought Cody would be the killer, even if he did look the type. He was so separated from the world that he had no use for such material possessions.

"I saw it in the market one day and I had the money, which I wasn't to use otherwise. It is the only worthwhile purchase I have ever made..." he explained further, but Lumina wasn't really listening. He did look like he would have had the power to kill her with his dark muscled arms and his strange tribal appearance. He looked like he had found all his clothes in the trash somewhere, with his ripped neckerchief and torn cream shirt that looked like it was once a bag.

"Well, we have business elsewhere, but we're looking for the person who now has my Grandmother's fortune... _my _fortune. So if you see anything unusual let us know." She told him, heading towards the door.

"Yeah, later." Rock said as he walked to the door.

"Lumina," she turned at hearing her name coming from Cody's mouth, "if you search your entire life for material possessions you will forget what really matters, your health."

Lumina turned and looked at him with fire in her eyes, "it's not about the money, it's about avenging my Grandmother. _That _is the most important thing."

Outside she began to cry as Rock cradled her in his arms. He stroked her hair as her warm tears soaked through his shirt.

"We'll find her killer, I swear." He promised her, he felt a little awkward since he had no idea how to comfort her or what was wrong for that matter.

"I know it's just, what if Romana can't rest properly, because her fortune isn't in the right hands?" She asked. Rock wanted to tell her that was the most ridiculous thing he had heard in his life, but he stopped himself.

"I'm sure she's resting just fine." He assured her and she offered him a weak smile.

She breathed in and regained her composure. "Okay, let's go to the bar, we'll try again another time."

They then walked, arm in arm down to blue bar.

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So Rock and Lumina aren't exactly Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson... but having them visit everyone in the town sure did use up a chapter... ;) 


	7. If Music Be the Food of Love

Now things are starting to get even more complicated, I would say everything gets less complicated but I'm afraid it only gets more so from here...

Thanks again Reviewers, you guys rock my socks! So who actually likes Rock?

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7. If Music Be the Food of Love

Nami walked down the silent streets, at least if they weren't silent, she blocked out any sounds. She was too busy thinking about the hippy with a green hat that lived in the colourful hut. She loathed herself for thinking about him, night and day, day and night. It was illogical, it was blind, it was mind-numbingly stupid, but it was love. Everything she did she somehow related it to him, whenever she saw something beautiful in nature she would wonder what he would say about it whereas before she would simply have meditated on its beauty. Now she always meditated on his beauty. The way he smiled at her, the way his purple glasses seemed to flash when he was happy, what his pretty blue eyes looked like behind the glasses. All the while she thought of him she was mentally kicking herself. The tiny voice in the back of her head would remind her _"This will only end in tears, Nami." _Didn't everything? It was strange how much that little voice sounded like her mother.

She had no direction; she was simply walking, a tumbleweed blowing in the wind. The wind seemed to take her to blue bar, but it was late, the bar would be closed. Still she tried to open the door and found that it was still unlocked. She checked her small silver wristwatch, a gift from her Grandmother; it was very late, almost midnight in fact. She had sneaked in so quietly that Griffin, who was sitting on the bar with his eyes closed and engrossed in playing his guitar, didn't notice her. That was fine with her, she didn't want to be noticed. He was playing a very melancholy tune, she noticed, and she could swear she saw tears on his rough features. She sat on the floor, listening and was admittedly intrigued, the man had talent. He reminded her of... Gustafa. The name was like a prayer to her, like uttering a word so holy that she felt unworthy to speak it. But at the same time it was like a swear word, it was wrong and she was disgusted at herself for saying it.

Griffin sang softly, sadly, his heart was bleeding:

"_You never seem to come here no more,_

_Was it something I did or said to you?_

_I know I'm no good, I'm old and poor,_

_So I just dunno what to do..._

_You're an angel, do you see that?_

_You're a saint, will you be that?_

_That's what I see, so don't say fat,_

_I know what you are, you ain't that..._

_But I dunno what to do._

_I see you there, on your knees,_

_Dirt in your hair, planting them seeds._

_I don't care what that guy sees,_

'_Cos to me, you're the fire that feeds._

_The fire that feeds my soul, and I dunno what to do._

_You're my angel, don't you see that?_

_You're my saint, won't you be that?_

_And love me, a wretched rat,_

_I know what I am, I am that._

'_Cos I don't know what to do._

_Hey farm girl, I dunno what to do._

_Be mine, I dunno what to do._

_Please, tell me what to do."_

He played a final chord and opened his eyes to see her there, if he was shocked, he didn't show it.

"Nami," he said, his voice was hoarse, perhaps from singing, or possibly from emotion. "You heard my little song."

She nodded, unable to keep a smile from her face. She had loved it, she didn't know why but she had, the music he played had been beautiful, so sad but so soothing.

"You like it?" He asked, sounding rather fragile. Nami looked up at him, her eyes shining. She felt ready to cry, so she quickly wiped her eyes, pushing back any emotion, she wouldn't show weakness.

"Yes, I liked it. Who... who were you singing about?" She asked with curiosity.

Griffin suddenly became defensive and almost dropped his white guitar. "Who said it was about someone?"

"The words... the feeling..." She shrugged. "It's all the same to me, did you write it?"

"Yes," he admitted, he knew admitting that wouldn't help his case for the song not being about anyone. But this was Nami, if anyone knew denial, it was her.

"Mmm, can I get a drink?" She asked, sitting down on the bar stool. He fetched her usual, a moon trip and watched her chug it down. From her silence it was obvious that she wasn't going to pester him anymore. Once she was finished she stood up and walked towards the door.

"Night li'l lady. By the way, the woman in the song is Vesta," Griffin said softly as she walked through the door. She was one of the strangest girls he had ever met.

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* * *

Nami walked down the beach, it was the early hours of the morning and she had still been unable to sleep, every time she tried images of Gustafa would be conjured in her mind. The sky was a foggy grey colour and the sea seemed calm as she strolled down, her eyes focused on the gold of the sand. She eventually became aware of someone behind her and spun around to see the new farmer.

"Hey, you're up early!" He greeted cheerfully. Why was this guy talking to her? She remained silent, observing him for a moment and deciding he wasn't worth answering. She turned and began to walk away, Jack frowned, that was odd.

"I said hey, didn't you hear me?" He asked, he seemed to genuinely wonder if she was hard of hearing.

She sighed and turned around. "I heard."

"And you decided no to answer... why?" He asked. She frowned, what a loser, couldn't he tell when to leave someone alone.

"I _want _to be left alone." She told him coldly.

"You're stubborn."

"What?" She asked incredulously, how was it stubborn just wanting to be left alone?

"I'm persistent, I know, but had you just said hey and smiled I might have left you alone. But since you ignored me, I'm gonna have to ask you what's wrong." He told her with a cheeky grin. Nami frowned harder, this guy was officially the most annoying person she had ever met.

"Nothing's wrong with me. What the hell is wrong with you?" She demanded angrily.

"Well sorry if I was trying to be polite." He said rolling his eyes. This girl was the rudest person he had met in a long time, and somehow that intrigued him rather than turning him off.

"Don't." She said simply, before walking off. His mind told him to run after her, but his feet refused to budge, sometimes he wondered where his brain was.

She looked behind her to realise that she had finally gotten rid of the farmer who didn't know when to give up. He should have given up ages ago; at least he had finally had the sense to quit pursuing her. Her face was red with anger, she could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins, begging her to fight or argue more. She was about to turn and give the farmer a nice bloody nose when she heard soothing music. _Gustafa_, the word ran through her mind like a dose of ice, cooling her veins and calming her. She followed the music to the little tree near his hut. She approached and he looked up, noting her presence but continuing to play. That was part of what she loved about him, he knew when to be silent. She listened for a while until he finished the song and stopped playing.

"Hello Nami," he said quietly and she smiled involuntarily. "Did you like my playing?"

She nodded, a small blush appearing on her face.

"I'm glad, if you like we can sing." He offered. She shook her head quickly. He didn't mind her being mute, she was silent like the beautiful mountains, strong and amazing, yet silent.

"_She's a nice girl,"_ his mind told him. Another voice in his head told him he needed some herbal tea, or perhaps some weed, he was feeling a tiny bit less mellow.

"How would you like to go for a walk on the beach tonight?" He asked calmly. _"Where did that come from?" _the little voice in his mind asked. _"Random."_

"I... I... I..." Nami stuttered turning bright pink. Had Gustafa just asked her on a moonlit date? "Um... I guess."

"Great." He smiled, before beginning to play, while she sat and listened.

* * *

Lumina headed over to blue bar alone that night. The night before she and Rock had spent an evening drinking down their sorrows, but that night Rock was busy. Apparently he had a lot of sleep to catch up on, he had been sleeping most of the day too while Lumina had been completing her work at the inn. She spotted Nami and Gustafa walking down the beach as she passed and smiled, finally they were making some progress!

The bar was unusually quiet that night, apparently everyone was too busy with work and other important things (such as romantic walks) to come to the bar. That was fine with Lumina, she was too tired to socialise anyway. As she sat down at the bar she spotted that only Muffy was serving that night.

"Hey Lu, what can I getcha?" She asked, leaning down over the bar to talk.

"A stone oil please, I'm in the mood for something strong." she said, leaning her chin on her hand.

Muffy raised her eyebrows. "A Stone oil huh? What's up?"

"Nothing really, I just feel as though my life is going nowhere." She said with a sigh. Muffy nodded understandingly.

"I know how you feel. There must be something in the water at the moment, because everyone seems depressed." Muffy told her, shaking her head sadly.

"Really? Maybe it's the heat, gets people passionate about everything." She said with a shrug.

"Yeah maybe," Muffy agreed. "Still... it's unlike Griffin to be depressed."

"It is? I mean I've never seen him depressed, but I guess he has a reason to be, I mean he's what... in his forties, maybe fifties... and he still has no wife or children, that's gotta put a guy down." Lumina said, feeling rather sorry for Griffin.

"Yeah but still, he's always been just fine with that. He said he's got me and I'm all he needs, I'm like a daughter to him."

"Yeah but you're not part of him. It's not like he can look at you and see a mirror of himself, maybe he just feels alone." She suggested, taking another sip of her stone oil. She was beginning to realise why she'd never ordered one before. Whereas the moon trip was rather sweet but exhilarating at the same time, the stone oil just made her throat burn and her mouth taste bitter and feel on fire. She grimaced as she sipped again.

"Too strong?" Muffy laughed her musical laugh. Lumina nodded bitterly and gulped down the rest of her drink, practically throwing up after the burn.

Suddenly they heard the sound of melancholy guitar music and heard Griffin singing, something like _"I just dunno what to do..."_

"He keeps singing that same song he wrote," Muffy told her worriedly.

"Maybe it's some old folk song," Lumina suggested but Muffy shook her head.

"No, it's not, otherwise he woudda told me what song it is and sung it to me. He only sings this when he thinks I'm not listening." She told Lumina sadly.

"Who do you think it's about?" She asked, after hearing a few more of the lyrics.

"Well I don't know, but I think it's about Celia!" Muffy said in a whisper.

"Celia?" Lumina exclaimed, wide-eyed. Muffy clapped a hand over Lumina's mouth to silence her.

"Yes, I mean it only makes sense, listen to the words. _I know I'm no good, I'm old and poor," "Dirt in your hair, planting them seeds" "Hey farm girl, I dunno what to do." _Isn't it obvious?" Muffy said in a whisper.

"But she's so young!" She protested, horrified by the thought. "Besides doesn't she have that arranged marriage thingie?"

"Yes, I know, it would never work, but he's in _love _with her, he's been so depressed."

"Oh no, we have to snap him out of it!" Lumina said, she couldn't stand the idea of the pain Griffin must be going through. Muffy nodded in agreement. Suddenly Jack walked in the room and took a seat at the bar.

"Quiet night?" He asked and Muffy beamed. Lumina slapped her forehead, obviously all thoughts of Griffin had rushed out of her head like a waterfall.

"Oh yes, can I get you anything, handsome?" Muffy asked, wearing her biggest, shiniest smile reserved only for her potential boyfriends or current boyfriends.

"Uh... yeah. Can I have moon trip, please?" He asked and Muffy turned her back to make it.

"How come you never call me handsome... or beautiful?" Lumina asked with a falsely innocent smile on her face. She saw Muffy go rigid and had to clap her hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling. Jack meanwhile just looked confused.

"It's a new thing I'm trying, but I'll call you beautiful next time," Muffy said with sweetness as false as Lumina's innocence.

She handed Jack the drink and beamed. "Since it's so quiet tonight it's on the house."

"Gee thanks," he accepted the drink gratefully.

"How come I had to pay for mine?" Lumina asked, and Muffy scowled at her.

"Because then it wasn't happy hour," Muffy lied. Lumina met Muffy's scowl with one of her own.

"Oh well then, can I have the next one free, I'd like a moon trip too please." She told Muffy with a smile. Muffy sighed and fetched her drink. She wanted to be mad at Lumina, but she sort of admired the girl's ability to cheat her way into free drinks. Muffy had her looks to get the nearest guy to buy her one, Celia had her sweetness and her morals so that she refused to drink, unless of course someone was offering to buy, in what case it would be rude to refuse. Muffy had always laughed at that, sometimes it annoyed her, but mainly she found it funny. Then there was Nami, who conveniently forgot to pay and walked out, leaving anyone who would to pay for her drink. So Muffy had to admit, Lumina had style.

"Do you guys know where Nami is?" Jack asked, trying to sound casual. Muffy's eyes widened with jealousy.

"Probably just walking around silently somewhere," Muffy said, trying to hide her anger.

"Actually I saw her and Gustafa walking together, I think they're finally starting to get together." Lumina told them both and Muffy mouthed "thank you" at her.

"Oh... are they like... dating?" Jack asked, seeming a little upset. Lumina patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah, they're so close to being together, you wouldn't want to spoil that would you?" Lumina asked, with big brown doe eyes.

"No, I just thought Nami was kinda cool. Ah well there's plenty more fish in the sea I suppose." He said with a shrug.

Lumina snorted. "Oh yeah in the sea there are _plenty _of fish, but I'm afraid you've found yourself in a rock pool. I'm afraid, Mr. Farmer-guy, you're looking at the all the other fish."

"That's it?" Jack asked incredulously, beginning to wonder how Takakura expected him to find a wife in... What did Lumina call it... a rock pool?

"Well us and Celia, but yeah, you're pretty much looking at the menu, so take your pick, who's your catch of the day?" Lumina asked. It didn't really matter to her who Jack picked, although really she hoped he'd choose Celia. Since Rock was completely crushed by Muffy and she was kind of hoping Nami and Gustafa would become an item and she herself had her eye on Marlin; Celia seemed like the obvious choice. Besides, it would clear up the issue of Griffin being in love with the young farm girl.

"Oh, this'll need a lot of thought," Jack said, finishing his drink. "Well anyway it's been lovely chatting to you guys, but I've got farm work to do."

"Bye," Lumina and Muffy chanted together as he walked out.

"Nami?! He likes Nami?! What the hell does he see in her?" Muffy asked angrily.

"Don't worry about it, he has no chance with her. She's like in love with Gustafa and besides he's so wrong for her, he's chirpy and happy and perfect for..."

"Me! Thanks Lumina!" Muffy said leaning over the bar.

"Actually..." Lumina began.

"Oh this is perfect, he is so cute... so who do you like?" Muffy interrupted and Lumina sighed. She was going to say Celia.

"Oh, look at the time, I'd better get back to the inn. I'll see you soon Muffy!" Lumina said before dashing out of the inn. Muffy shook her head and put her hands on her curvaceous hips.

"That girl's so strange," she said shaking her head, just like a mixture between Celia and Nami and herself.

* * *

As Lumina dashed away from the bar she spotted Nami listening to Gustafa play a sweet little, romantic song. Nami had a cute little blush on her face and Gustafa seemed absorbed by the music. Lumina grinned, a little more time and those two would be a couple, as long as Jack didn't get in the way. In the distance, she spotted Celia standing by the bridge, she cocked her head and wandered over to investigate.

"Hey Celia," she greeted, offering the brunette girl a smile. Celia returned the smile and continued plucking the petals off a mist moon flower. "What you up to?"

"Oh I was just plucking the petals of this flower to see if he loves me..." She said blushing.

"Who?" Lumina asked, confused. Was it possible that she returned Griffin's feelings?

"Jack, you know the farmer... he's just so perfect and he loves plants too! He brought me this flower today..." She said blushing and dropping the bare stem into the stream.

"Which... is... why... you're tearing it up...?" Lumina asked, even more confused than before.

"No silly, I figured it would be more truthful if I used a flower he'd given me." She explained and Lumina nodded.

"Oh right, of course!"

Celia giggled and ran a small hand through her hair. "Well I'm gonna head home, goodnight."

"Goodnight." Lumina waved. She then headed over to the inn, her head buzzing with the different romances in the valley. She would have to tell Rock about all this in the morning, but in the meantime she wanted some rest.

She changed in her bedroom and noticed that Rock wasn't sleeping there for the first time in ages. She tiptoed over to his room and found him fast asleep on his bed. She frowned, she knew she should go back to her own room, but she somehow felt lonely without him sleeping in the same room. So she crawled into bed next to him, listening to the sound of his breathing. She felt a sudden burst of love for him, not romantic love, but friendship love, what would she do without him? He looked so peaceful sleeping, his features so perfectly serene and his golden hair spreading around his head like a halo. She smiled and hugged his sleeping form, she really did hope they'd be friends forever. His deep, brown eyes opened slowly as he gave her a questioning look.

"Hmmm?" He asked, hovering between the realms of the sleeping and the waking.

Lumina smiled at him. "Sorry, I just didn't want to sleep alone, you don't mind do you?" She asked, rather worried that he'd say he did mind.

"Stay." He mumbled, before closing his eyes again. She snuggled down against him and closed her eyes.

"Lumina,"

"Yeah Rock?"

"I love you..."

"I love you too."

His eyes shot open a little, "as a friend I mean."

Lumina giggled, "me too."

* * *

:) 


	8. What A Mess Ouch

:) thank you to the reviewers...

**Chicken Yuki: **Haha, yeah a skillful detective Lumina is not... nor is Rock, but with unlikely heroes some inspiration always seems to fall from the sky. Yup, I'm actually letting Nami be happy... well... no one really stays completely happy in my fics, but for now she'll be happy... lmao about the accusation of MukuMuku... darn, why didn't I think of using that?

**Momo-chan12:** Aww thank you very much, hope I don't disappoint!

Now... on with the tale!!!

* * *

8. What a Mess... Ouch

Lumina opened her eyes and they widened further as she felt something squirm against her. She sat up and spotted Rock, she traced back to last night and sighed, she'd just been lonely, that was all. Still, she decided she'd better check.

"Rock..." She said nervously.

"Hmm?" He asked leaning up and stretching.

"How did I get here?" She asked.

"Oh right, yeah you begged to sleep with me." He said casually.

"WHAT?!" She asked, horror-struck.

Rock laughed and shook his head, "no to share the bed because you felt alone, not for anything like that... but if you like..."

"Please don't finish that sentence." She begged and Rock simply laughed.

"Oh, I've got a lot of mixed up stuff to tell you, I swear the valley's gone absolutely mad!" She stated and Rock looked up at her curiously. She stood up and found a hairbrush, running it through her hair, she was taking her time to keep Rock in suspense.

"Lumina," Rock said in a warning tone.

"Fine I'll tell you, but it's really confusing and messed up..."

"Just get on with it. Unless you really don't have anything to say and you're pretending you do just to keep me in suspense and then you'll tell me that you don't and I'll be all like... "Oh"."

Lumina rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, "Okay well, you know I have a thing for Marlin and you have a thing for Muffy?"

"Uh huh,"

"Well now Muffy has a thing for the farmer Jack and he has a thing for Nami. Celia also has a thing for Jack, but we think Griffin is in love with Celia..."

"Hold on," Rock stopped her. "Griffin has a thing for Celia?"

"Yeah, but anyway..."

"But he's like... old!" Rock protested, making a face.

"Yes I know, it's a shocker and we have to get him over it! Now will you let me continue?" She enquired, exasperated. Rock simply nodded.

"Okay good, well Nami has the hugest crush on Gustafa and he's just well... stoned really." She felt a slight headache coming on after all the confusion.

"So basically... absolutely no one has a thing for us."

"That's the basics of it."

"Right... should we be offended?"

"Probably," Lumina said with a sigh. "But I think every problem would be solved if Gustafa and Nami got together, it's already on the way so no problems there. Celia and Jack should get together, Celia already likes Jack, so that's halfway. You and Muffy can be together," Rock let out a small "yay". "Then Marlin and I could be together, it's perfect!" She blushed.

"So really, we should tell Marlin and Muffy how we feel," Rock stated, frowning.

"Yup," Lumina agreed. Easier said than done, they had both turned pale. "You first."

"Why me?" He asked, his voice turning slightly squeaky.

"Because, I'm still grieving over the loss of my grandma..." She said, fixing him with puppy dog eyes.

"Dammit! Fine, you win." He sighed in defeat.

"Good, you can do it tonight at the bar, but first I've got to help get Nami and Gustafa together and convince Griffin not to love Celia and convince Celia to tell Jack how she feels. How influential a person am I?" She asked worriedly, swallowing hard.

"You'll do fine," Rock promised and Lumina smiled, she was glad that he had faith in her.

* * *

First Lumina decided to approach Griffin, after all, he probably knew his love for Celia was wrong. So all she had to do was tell him to let Celia and Jack get together, easy peasy. Sure Griffin would have a few nights of melancholy guitar ballads and drinking away his sorrows, but he'd get over it. He had to, for the sake of the valley! Somehow thinking of her matchmaking as a quest made it easier, even though Lumina knew she was a pathetic matchmaker. She hadn't even been able to get Gustafa and Nami together and they were pretty much half way. Luckily she found the bar open, but it was ten o'clock in the morning, so it was bound to be. She found Griffin drinking down a Stone oil and shook her head, drinking in the morning was a bad sign.

"Griffin, are you okay? I mean it's a bit early don't you think?" She asked, his moustache seemed to droop as he sighed.

"It's the only thing that takes the pain away," he moaned sadly, taking another sip of the burning liquid to stop himself from crying. Instead his eyes began to water from the burn of the drink.

"You could try other things... like fishing! Or going for walks," she suggested hopefully. He looked a little offended, and she realised that it was probably because she'd mentioned old man hobbies.

"I'll pass thanks, little Lu. When you're older you'll understand." He told her with a sigh.

"Is that a promise?" She asked with a bitter smile and he chuckled sullenly.

"It's a guarantee." He said with a wistful smile. Lumina really felt sorry for him, he looked a wreck. His clothes were creased, his hair was even more messy than usual and he had big purple bags under his eyes, the same colour as if you mixed red punch and blue punch; which was probably what he had done. Lumina debated how to go about telling him to get over Celia quickly, in the end she decided to dive right in.

"But she's so young Griffin!" She said suddenly. Griffin looked a little shocked, his squinty eyes practically opening.

"How did you... she's not that much younger than me!" He protested.

"I know they say age shouldn't matter, but in this case it does, she's so much younger!" Lumina argued, she felt her eyes tearing up. It wasn't that she was sad, but the emotion of the conversation was getting to her.

"She's only a few years younger..."

"Now, but think about in the future, when you're old and she's still got her whole life ahead!" Lumina told him, suddenly she felt a lot wiser than her years on this earth. She'd always been told that she was, but somehow now she could feel words of someone older popping out of her mouth.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, furrowing his brows.

"You and Celia!" She told him, as though this was obvious.

"Me and..." He suddenly burst out laughing. She frowned, perhaps the hopelessness of the whole situation had finally got to him. He had to wipe tears from his eyes.

Finally he stopped laughing and looked at her kindly. "I'm not in love with Celia; I'm in love with Vesta."

"Oh," Lumina said with surprise. "Ooooh!" She said again, adding more realization into her voice.

"Yeah, you're right Celia is far too young. But I found out recently that Vesta doesn't love me..." He told her sadly, all of the laughter gone from his voice.

"Who does she love?" Lumina asked, cocking her head with curiosity.

"Cody, and he's so in love with nature he doesn't realise. He'll never love her like I do." Griffin said, she could practically see the envy radiating off him with green light.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Griffin." Lumina said genuinely, placing a tender hand on his arm.

"Don't be, when I think about it logically, they're a much more suited couple. They're both completely besotted by nature, but me, I'd be happy with just a T.V that played non-stop rodeo." He told her. She laughed a little and smiled apologetically.

"You'll find someone," she said, she was unsure if this was true, but she hoped it was.

"Nah, there's no one else for me, I'm getting older and the heartache's too much, I think I'll just watch my little Muffy grow up and get married. She's my world." He told her with a smile. Lumina nodded, but she felt tears coming to her eyes. No one loved her like that, everyone who should have loved her like that had left; she had no one.

"I've gotta go, see ya later." She said in a tearful voice, trying to hold back the tiny droplets.

"Yeah see ya," he said, giving her a small hug before she ran out of the building.

Outside she found the tears kept coming as she fell to the grass and cried. She hadn't felt the loss of her Grandmother and Sebastian in a long time and now it hit her like a sledgehammer, or perhaps one of Jack's hoes. She tried to force on her brave mask, but she couldn't seem to find it, she was the lost child again. When she finally struggled to her feet and wiped the tears from her eyes, she spotted Nami and Gustafa together. They seemed happy, completely content with each other, perhaps they were not yet officially together, but they were near enough. Gustafa wouldn't give Nami up to Jack, and Nami would most certainly not give herself away. She had no need to force them along.

She hurried up the stairs to the inn, hoping that no one would see her crying; she couldn't bare that. She couldn't let Ruby, Tim or Rock see how she was crumbling from the inside out, falling apart, she needed help but was too broken to call for it. She was just about to run into her room when Rock found her, a concerned look on his face. Lumina forced forward her brave face quickly.

"Oh... hey Rock... I... have... something funny to tell... y...you!" She sniffed, her voice was shaking and she was finding it hard to get the words out without crying.

"It doesn't look funny," Rock said doubtfully.

"Oh it is, it's just I... I can't talk now, I'm um... busy." She made her excuse and pushed open the door, trying to slam it behind her but Rock stuck his foot in the way.

"Please Rock, just leave me alone." She begged falling onto her bed and crying into the sheets.

"No." He said simply, sitting down next to her and pulling her into his arms. She cried softly and he rubbed her back soothingly. "What's wrong?"

She swallowed hard and looked up at him with big tear-filled eyes. Rock could almost feel his heart breaking for her, but somehow he loved feeling like that. Before her he'd never felt anything for anyone but himself, sure there was a slight crush on Muffy here, maybe a little thing for Celia there, but nothing as intense as this. He'd been so self-centred, so completely obsessed with his happiness that nothing seemed to break his heart. He hadn't needed other people and so if they rejected him it didn't matter, he still lived in his own little world. Nothing ever made him sad, because nothing really mattered, not like she did. Even though he was completely falling for Muffy, there was some part of his heart that Lumina would always have, she was his best friend, his saviour.

He had been like the "Happy Prince", he had lead a happy life, completely unaware of anything outside the walls of the palace. But then when he saw Lumina, like the statue of the prince had seen the people's problems, his eyes had been opened and right now he wanted to give her everything he had; every scrap of gold, every sapphire, every ruby, anything.

"Well I was talking to Griffin and, he told me he's not in love with Celia but in love with Vesta," she paused so that Rock could make a comment or crack a joke, but was surprised when he didn't. "Turns out Vesta's in love with creepy Cody and Griffin's giving up. I told him he'll meet someone else but he said he didn't want to, he just wants to watch Muffy get married and be happy, because she's his world."

"And that makes you sad because...?" Rock asked feeling slightly confused.

"Because I lost Romana and I lost Sebastian, I was _their _world, now they're both gone. I'm not anybody's world; no one loves me like that. Suddenly I just feel so alone!" She began crying again and Rock hugged her tight. He couldn't believe she felt like that, so many people cared about her, she was _his _world.

"Lu, how can you think that?" He asked softly.

"Because everyone who loved me died," she said, her eyes filling with tears.

"So, that doesn't matter. They're not the only people who ever loved you, Lu, lots of people here care about you. Mom and Dad, they love you and... and, even if no one else did, I still would. You're _my_ world." He told her, kissing the top of her shiny hair.

"But you love Muffy..." She reminded him, her voice so innocent and fragile that he had to hold her closer.

"Yes, but there's different kind of loves, I love you as a friend and nothing can change that." He promised. She smiled and hugged him close, feeling warm once again. She couldn't help noticing how much Rock had changed, he used to be sort of a self-centred jerk, but now he was so different. He was so kind and so caring and he was her best friend.

"Thank you Rock," she said, rewarding him with the biggest smile.

"Anytime," he promised, smiling in return. She wiped her eyes on her shirt and took in a big lungful of air.

"Right, now it's time for you to tell Muffy how you feel. She'd be crazy not to love you." She told him. He grinned and they embraced one last time. "Oh and change your shirt, I kinda got it wet... sorry."

"No problem, I'll go change, you go downstairs and have a cup of hot tea and I'll tell you everything."

Lumina nodded and waved him off as he headed to the bar.

* * *

Rock had a feeling of dread in his stomach as he entered the bar, it was like lead, he really didn't want to do this. But then again there was no time like the present, what was that phrase Lumina had used that meant "seize the day"? Carp dine? Something that sounded like eating fish... but that was what he'd do. There she was, sitting on the bar, the room was completely empty, and everything was so perfectly set up. His brain told him to keep moving, but his feet told him to run; his brain just barely won. Muffy looked up from her lap and flashed him a bright smile with her glorious cherry red lips. Her bright emerald eyes were sparking, captivating him. She looked absolutely beautiful with her gold hairr curling around her face, she was an angel.

"Hey Rock, we're not serving at the moment, did you come to see me?" She asked, beaming. He nodded, breathing in deeply. He wished she'd get off the counter, she seemed too high up and far more daunting.

"Well I um..." He began, he'd had a speech rehearsed and everything, he just couldn't seem to remember it. "Muffy, you're beautiful and amazing and sweet, you're like a perfect angel and any guy would be so lucky to have you. You're so erm..." he remembered one of the words from his original speech. "…phosphorescent that I would really, really like to be the lucky guy. So Muffy, would you like to be my girlfriend…type…thing?" He gazed up at her hopefully and saw her bite her lip, not a good sign.

"Oh Rock, it's not that I don't like you," she began awkwardly. It was strange, he knew she was saying no, yet he felt like laughing and he had no idea why.

"That's fine, so I'll see ya round." He said casually, turning to walk away. She ran to him and embraced him, squishing up against him and making him feel more awkward. Lumina's hugs never made him feel awkward.

"I'm so, so sorry, if I didn't like Jack things would be different. Don't hide your feelings Rock, you can let them out!" She gushed, making him feel more uncomfortable as she tightened her grip.

"Yeah thanks, but I'm actually okay. I mean I'm not okay, you turned me down, but I'll save my moping for later if it's all the same to you." He said with a shrug. Muffy frowned, he was acting a little odd, maybe that was his way of showing pain.

"Of course, but we're still friends right?" She asked hopefully.

"Definitely," he said with a wink before striding out of the inn.

It was strange but he felt more relieved than upset, in fact he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever really felt anything for Muffy. Sure she was pretty, attractive and really sweet, everything a guy should want. He had wanted her, but he'd never loved her, not enough to care when he didn't get the girl. It was really no blow at all, just a small tap to his pride, so Muffy didn't want him, big deal. He'd survive without her, he had before, why not now?

"Hey Lu," he said, smiling at her as he walked into the inn. Lumina's eyes widened and she grinned.

"She said yes!" She guessed and Rock chuckled.

"No,"

"No?"

"She said no," he said with a shrug. Lumina's face fell, she pulled him into a comforting hug. He liked her hugs, she smelt of jasmine flowers and roses.

"Are you okay?" She asked gently.

"Surprisingly yes, but it's probably just the shock. I'll probably mope a whole lot later. Speaking of people who like moping, isn't it time to tell Marlin how you feel?" He asked, wondering why he'd sounded so bitter when he's said that. Lumina frowned.

"Yup, guess it's time. Wish me luck," she told him and he smiled.

"Good luck."

* * *

Lumina felt her heart beating quickly as she walked towards the farm, this was it. This was the moment she'd dreamed of for so long, she wondered if it would be as good as her many dreams. In many she'd told him and he'd pulled her into his arms for a passionate kiss, those were the best dreams. In others he'd been too shy and she'd had to initiate, but it was the same effect. Afterwards he would tell her that he'd always loved her, that was the rule of every dream, and then time would pass. They would get married, have kids and buy back the mansion. It was pure perfection. Of course she wasn't completely expecting that, she just hoped he'd say that he would like to be her boyfriend, that would be good enough.

She could feel her legs shaking as she walked towards the farm, her stomach bubbling like hot lava, she swallowed hard. She was really nervous, not just about whether he said yes. What if they did kiss? What if she was a really bad kisser? After all he was pretty much her first big crush and he would hopefully be her first kiss. She was so worried he'd say no, after all he was a bit older. But not so much older that it wouldn't work, not like the idea of Griffin and Celia. Besides, what was age when it came to love, true love? Was this true love? Maybe, or is true love only in fairytales? Lumina sometimes wondered if her world could become like a fairytale. She'd been born into a mansion, which was like being a princess, right? Then Marlin would be like her prince, he didn't have a horse or shining armour and he wasn't tall, but he was dark and handsome and like a prince to her.

If she thought about it her life really was like a fairytale, like those she'd read leisurely in the mansion when Romana complained she always had her nose in a book. Her relatives had been killed and she'd had to move out of her home and live somewhere else, granted Ruby wasn't exactly an evil stepmother, but she did have to work hard. Then Marlin would take her away from this, everything would be perfect and they'd live happily ever after.

She found herself near the house and she spotted Celia and Marlin by the greenhouses. This was it, her heart was beating wildly, this would be the best day of her life. She could feel her hands shaking in anticipation. But Marlin and Celia were still talking, she decided she should wait until they had finished, then she would talk to Marlin when Celia went in the house. Yes, that would be perfect.

"Celia... I... um... have to tell you something..." Marlin said nervously, blushing slightly. But that was Marlin, talking to anyone made him nervous and blushing, right?

"What is it, Marlin?" Celia asked kindly, batting her long eyelashes at him.

"I... I know we work together and you're supposed to be in an arranged marriage and we've been like brother and sister. But I don't want to love you like a sister, I _love _you Celia, so much. You are the most beautiful," Marlin began, every word was like a stab to Lumina's heart. "Sweet, kind, wonderful, amazing, perfect, fantastic, beautiful... have I said beautiful? Never mind, what I'm trying to say is Celia, please will you think of me not as a brother but a boyfriend? Please, I love you."

Celia's eyes were filled with tears as she looked up at him smiling.

"_Please say no, please say no!" _Lumina's mind begged. She knew she should try to be happy for Marlin and hope that Celia said yes, but she couldn't. The green eyed monster inside her was growling ferociously.

"Oh Marlin, I love you too!" Celia exclaimed happily. Marlin looked shocked but smiled genuinely, the biggest smile he'd ever smiled. He pulled her into his arms and leant down to kiss her softly on the lips, running his arms down her back. Lumina felt her heart snap in two as she ran from the farm. Marlin and Celia didn't even notice.

She felt hot tears trickling down her cheeks and burning everything. It hurt so much, her first love loved another and she'd seen them together. That should have been her he was holding, not Celia. But the worst thing was, no matter how much she wanted to hate Celia, she couldn't. She couldn't hate her for what she'd done, she hadn't even known that Lumina loved him, she'd just been an innocent girl in love. Lumina choked on her tears, the tears just wouldn't stop coming. It hurt so much, she felt so empty and so alone. Her light at the end of the tunnel had faded and she was completely lost, following nothing. She cried so hard she thought her eyes would fall out, everything hurt so much, her eyes ached from crying but the tears wouldn't stop.

"_Why?" _her mind begged. _"Why?"_ Of course there came no reply. Lumina had nothing now, no family, no lover, she was unwanted. She fell to the grass eventually rocking back and forth, cradling her aching head in her hands. She found that she was in the forest area, near to crystal pond that a goddess had supposedly once dwelled in. She was in the darkness and there was no light.

She turned to the pond, fiery tears burning her face like scolding water. "Please, make the pain stop." She begged, her voice turning hoarse. "Make the pain stop." She repeated. "Make the pain stop... please... make... make... it... stop." Her voice was going. Her throat was burning and closing up, everything just felt so excruciating. She cried into the grass, banging her fists on the ground, trying to force her pain into the ground.

Suddenly she felt arms around her, it was Rock, he was always there for her. He hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head gently.

"It'll be okay, it'll stop hurting." He promised. She so wanted to believe him, but right now it felt like the pain was forever.

Rock looked at her, a small broken creature. Her hair was straggling around her face and her once bright eyes were dull, red and swollen. Her cheeks were wet with tears that dripped down her pretty little nose. Yet still she was beautiful, amazing and perfect; she was his world and he loved her. His eyes widened with realization, he didn't love her as a friend, he _loved _her. He was completely in love with her and falling further every second, he was drowning in her as she drowned in her tears.

* * *

eeeep! 0.o 


	9. Where To Begin

Heey Sexy people!! Thank you, sexy reviewers :)

**Chicken Yuki: **Hehe, thanks, sorry I'm kinda big on the romance writing, so apologies if it makes you sick to your stomach... I'm afraid that although Rock's realised his feelings for Lumina, she's still pretty oblivious, so you're gonna have to see how that works out. And Jack... well he adds as a nice little confusing factor. Haha I'd love to be able to make MukuMuku dramatic, but a big white yeti thing is hard to make anything but funny... unless I had it eat someone, but still... it seems kinda harmless. Thanks for the review, I love reading all the stuff you have to say, puts a smile on my face.

**Momo-chan12:** Aww thank you very much, I'm glad you liked the chapter, yeah I'm getting a little confused too, haha.

**NightimeRoseOX:** Hehe, thanks a lot, sorry about the sadness, I tend to write lots of sad stuff in my fics. I seem to have quite a depressing view on life, don't I? Well I guess it's not all rainbows and sunshine, but still... I try to add comic relief...

**Awesome Rapidash:** Yay thanks, glad you could feel the emotions, I wish I could make Lumina and Rock have a happy ending right now, but... well... you'll see.

**like red on a rose: **Hehe, I'm updating now... does that count? And thank you!

* * *

9. Where to Begin

The pain refused to leave, no matter what Lumina did, it just wouldn't fade. It wouldn't numb and the tears wouldn't stop. Reason was shouting in the back of her mind that this was stupid; it wasn't like she had loved Marlin. Love was special, what she had for Marlin wasn't love, it was a simple crush. But just seeing him there, holding Celia like she had dreamt he would hold her, it slashed her right across the heart. The pumping organ was bruised and cut and maybe scarred, right now it felt as though it would never heal. So she remained in her room, in her bunny rabbit pyjamas and wrapped in her duvet, with a box of tissues close at hand. She had tried to avoid looking in the mirror; there she would only see her pain reflected as the dishevelled image of herself. She knew she must look as awful as she felt, but she couldn't seem to care.

She passed her days by staring out of the window, or merely staring, either watching the people go by or just shutting off her brain. Those times were the best, when she would avoid thinking about the pain. She felt so ill, she had been unable to eat for the last few days and she felt like she was fading away into nothing. But she wanted to fade away and just to die, then maybe she wouldn't feel the pain.

She heard a knock at the door. She raised her voice to speak, it was still squeaky from not being used. "W-w... what do you want?"

"It's me," she sighed, it was Rock. He had visited her everyday... or at least tried to. But every time she pushed him away, she refused to let him in. She didn't want to see anyone right now; she just wanted to deal with her pain alone. Besides, she couldn't let him see her like this.

"Go away," she ordered bitterly, leaning against the door. She heard Rock sigh mournfully. She scowled, how dare _he _sigh? What did _he_ have to sigh about? He couldn't possibly understand how she felt, he'd never been denied by the person he liked. He'd never been rejected...

"_Except by Muffy," _her mind added knowingly.

"_That was different!" _her other mind voice protested. _"_He _didn't catch Muffy with another guy."_

"_But he knows she likes Jack, he was fine with it! Get over it!" _The other voice cried.

"Just shut up both of you!" She cried out loud. She was beginning to worry, the lack of people being around her had made her start talking to herself.

"Who...? Lumina, who are you talking to?" Rock asked, obviously worried.

"N-n... no one!" she stuttered in reply. She could almost see the confused look on his face in her mind's eye; she wished he wouldn't worry so much. She decided she had better talk to him, after all she probably needed the company.

"Lumina, can I please come in?" He pleaded.

"Okay," she said in a small voice. "Let me just neaten up a bit, I probably look like I've died. Come back in half an hour, okay?"

"Lu, you don't need to clean up! You'll look beautiful no matter what!" He said honestly.

She snorted. "Liar. Half an hour,"

She walked over to the mirror and finally looked at her reflection, she looked worse than dead. She looked like she'd died then been hit by a truck multiple times and then had her face dunked in a river. Her brown eyes were dull, red-rimmed and puffy from continuous crying. Her hair was a mess, strands fell everywhere and bits stuck up here and there. She looked worryingly pale, if she had seen herself without preparing for the worst she would have had a heart attack.

* * *

Rock bit his finger to stop himself from crying. He had found himself doing that a lot over the last few days. It hurt to lay awake at night listening to her sobs and wails, knowing that nothing he could do would take the pain away. She was crying over another man that didn't have the sense to love her, you'd have to be blind, deaf and mind-numbingly stupid not to love her. Heck, Rock was mind-numbingly stupid and he _still _loved her. He ran a hand through his blonde hair trying not to choke on his tears, he would give anything to take her pain away and just to see her smile again. If only she loved him like he did her, then he could take her into his arms and keep her safe from anything. He'd never let anything hurt her again, hell, he might even charge people to see her. He loved her so much it hurt. 

"Lu..." He whispered softly, "if only you knew."

He could hear cluttering around in her room, she obviously hadn't heard him. In a way he wished she had, it was the only way he would get up the courage to tell her. But how _could _he tell her? She was his very best friend, and she loved him just as that, a best friend.

Besides, she was still bawling her eyes out over Marlin, how would she react to her best friend telling her he loved her? She'd probably throw herself off the top of the mansion! The one person she was counting on to always love her the same, telling her he loved her more than just as a friend, that would kill her. He was stupid and arrogant and pretty pig-headed but he was smart enough to know that she wouldn't return his feelings. This wasn't what she needed right now, he would only hurt her more by telling her. Maybe, once she was better, he'd tell her. But for now he just had to be her friend.

* * *

"Okay Rock, you can come in now." She called through the door. He walked in and flashed her a big smile, which she returned very weakly. She looked mildly better, still pale but a little less dishevelled, but she was still dressed in rabbit pyjamas. 

"Hey Lu, long time no see." He joked and she nodded solemnly. She looked at him and began crying again, he rushed over to wrap her in his arms. "Shhh, hey now, I didn't mean anything."

She didn't know why she was crying, it wasn't anything he had said, she was just feeling so horribly emotional. Seeing him take pity on her just made her feel more sorry for herself.

"If my being here is hurting you, I'll just go." He told her, he had meant it to just sound like a concerned offer, but somehow it sounded bitter.

She wiped the tears from her golden-brown eyes and shook her head, looking up at him through tear-filled eyelashes. "No don't. I need this, I do, I'm just... I'm just so hurt."

"First love'll do that to you." He said with an awkward chuckle. She couldn't know that he was talking about her.

She shook her head again. "It wasn't... I mean, it wasn't love. It was just a dumb crush, a big crush, but a dumb one. It just hurt, seeing him with Celia just when I was gonna tell him how I felt. I keep replaying it in my mind and thinking: what if I had been earlier? What if I had got there before he told Celia, would it have made a difference?"

"He still wouldn't have loved you." He said bluntly. She looked at him, hurt. _"Insert foot in mouth Rock." _"What I mean to say, he would still have been in love with Celia, so even if he had said yes, it wouldn't have worked. So really there's nothing you could have done that would have made a blind bit of difference." He told her honestly, studying her tear-stained face lovingly. She looked up at him again and he switched his gaze to the wall.

"I could have been sweeter or made more of an effort or..." she suggested, she began pacing the room. He watched her shaking his head.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her shining brown eyes, the colour of all his favourite things mixed together. The colour of honey and hot cocoa and the earth and trees and... heaven. He could always find heaven in her eyes.

"He still would have loved Celia. He loved her long before you even gave him a second thought. Besides, you should never change, you're perfect the way you are." He told her.

She sighed. "No, if I were perfect Marlin would have loved me."

"Marlin was an idiot!" Rock said in an exasperated tone and she frowned at him. "He was! You want a guy who will love you just the way you are, absolutely everything about you! Marlin's stupid not to love you like that!"

"Maybe... maybe there's something wrong with me." She said sadly, looking down at the floor.

"Look at me," she looked into his dark brown eyes. "There is nothing wrong with you. You are, you are so amazing and beautiful and awesome and I can't think of other words, but I'm sure you can! Think of them."

She smiled genuinely. "I'm thinking... maybe... awe-inspiring, magnificent, stunning, incredible, wonderful... perfect." She joked.

"Exactly."

"I wish." But she still smiled. "I love you."

He tried to keep smiling but it faded a little. "I love you too," _"More than you'll ever know." _He added mentally.

"We'll always be friends, right? Promise me." She pleaded softly, her tiny hands gripping onto his arm tightly, as though for dear life.

"I promise... friends... forever."

"Thank you." She said, beaming at him, she felt slightly happier already. "Now I so need a wash, so I'm headed to the waterfall. See you later, okay?"

"Yeah see ya." He agreed.

* * *

Lumina grabbed a fluffy blue towel and headed over to the waterfall. She was about to undress and get in when she spotted clothes strewn about nearby. Her eyes widened in fury, just when she was ready to face the world someone steals her bathing time! She placed her hands on her hips and walked closer to the pool to find her perpetrator. In the cool, shimmering waters she spotted the new farmer, Jack. 

"You getting out any time soon?" She asked impatiently. He looked up cheerily and stood up in the water. His bare chest was shown to her, and quite the nice bare chest it was, tanned and definitely well-muscled.

"Haha, maybe... once my hands go all wrinkled, but I'm enjoying it too much right now." He told her splashing in the water as though to make his point. She frowned, her eye twitching in anger.

"Well could you hurry up? Cos I really want to get in, see I'm kinda depressed at the moment and really need to bath." She explained, hoping that her imploring eyes would reach him.

"Well I've had a hard day of farm labour, I have aching muscles and all that. Still, you're welcome to join me..." He suggested, raising a brown eyebrow.

She clenched her teeth together. "No thank you, I don't share baths with perverts."

He chuckled. "Come on, I promise I won't peek, or harass you."

She considered it and then sighed in defeat before walking off to change. She returned in the towel and placed her clothes by the pond, he then closed his eyes while she slipped off the towel and slid into the water.

"Oh, the water's warm today," she noted, sliding her head under and resurfacing, her hair dripping wet. Her chestnut locks fell down like snakes to her shoulders and she felt her skin regenerate.

"Isn't it lovely, you can see why I'm in no hurry to get out." He said, grinning and showing a spectacularly straight set of sparkling white teeth.

"I can," she agreed. The water really was lovely, even though she felt awkward at sharing it with a completely naked and rather gorgeous male farmer.

They were silent for a period, both relaxing with their eyes closed.

"You'd better hope no one catches us here," Lumina said after a while. "Or the rumours will spread like wildfire."

"Then we will explain that we had a fight over the water and the only way to prevent having a huge war and disrupting the entire village was to share it. Really, we're doing them a favour." He said grinning. She giggled softly, she felt happy for the first time in a few days.

"So um, how's the farm?" She asked, she knew it had to be hard trying to start out a farm all one your own.

He shrugged, a conflicted expression on his face. "It's hard, 'cos I'm all alone."

"Thought as much, but other than that, is it successful yet?" She enquired, her big brown eyes wide with interest, she'd read about a farmer in a book once and the idea had intrigued her. Not enough to actually dream of being a farmer, a famous musician was a far more satisfactory career choice, but still enough to imagine it once in a while.

"Yeah, I mean I'm making money and the animals like me. But I'm feeling sort of... alone at the moment. I mean I have Tak, and he's been helpful and all, but he's not one to talk all that much. He barely opens up, he just talks about the animals." He admitted, shaking his head. She nodded, she liked Takakura and all, but he didn't seem like the kind of guy who you chatted to. "But what about you, what's your story?"

"My story?" she asked with big brown eyes. Did she really want to open up to this near stranger about her Grandmother's death? Well if she was willing to share a pool with him, which she was beginning to realise was the worst idea in the world, then why not tell him? "It's complicated." Oh... that was why?

"It is? How?" He asked, obviously that had intrigued him further.

She sighed; well she might as well open up, besides she didn't have anything to lose. "She died, about a month or so ago."

"I'm sorry... how is that complicated?" He asked, looking a little confused... he looked cute when he was confused.

"Because she left everything to everyone but me. She was my only living relative and she left me with nothing, so I'm working at the inn. Its okay, I mean I'm not throwing a melancholy fit... well not about that anyway... but I digress. Oh I'm getting like Rock! But basically she left the fortune to whoever owns the key to her safe, I didn't have the key." She explained, sort of wishing she hadn't. It was confusing even to her.

"Oh... and how come you don't have the key?"

"Well I suppose my parents had it- but they died in a car crash... well... yeah, car crash. But someone must have taken it from them while they were dead... or taken it from Romana! But that someone probably lived in the valley, because, I sound like a major psycho, but I think they murdered Romana... and my parents." She told him, her eyes wide with innocence, begging him to believe her.

"It does sound a little... conspiracy theory...ish" he admitted. "I'd like to believe you, but I don't want to think anyone in the valley is capable of murder..."

She sighed, a hurt look flashing across her face. She really should have guessed he wouldn't believe her, but she had so wanted to trust him. "Yes, I suppose it sounds a little preposterous, but... I just have to believe Romana wouldn't leave me with nothing... and I saw her body..." she shivered at the thought. The images flashed back as they did whenever she thought of her Grandmother, she forced them to the back of her brain again.

Jack looked horrified, his eyes wide and pitying. He couldn't imagine having to go through that. Admittedly his father had died a few years back, but he hadn't been the one to discover the body, his mother had. She had been distraught and had pretty much hid herself in a dark room for a month, Jack had quit college and started working in the city- which he had hated. In the end his mother had given up on life and he had moved to the farm. The thought still hurt him, even ties to him weren't enough to make her want to stay in this world.

"That must have been terrible."

She nodded, "but it was the way her body looked that got me. Like she had just collapsed on the bed..."

"Heart attack?" he suggested. She shook her head.

"No... she had a very healthy heart, she had regular check-ups. It was like she had been... I dunno poisoned or something," she frowned. She really didn't know what had happened to Romana, but she just didn't look peaceful.

"Hmmm," Jack said thoughtfully. She could tell he wasn't convinced and honestly, she didn't blame him.

"You don't have to believe me, but that's my story." She told him with a shrug. He smiled awkwardly and nodded.

"Thanks, so anything else you want to talk about?" He asked, seeming vaguely interested in her life. She studied him, her shining gold eyes intense upon his own, as though decide whether to trust him.

"..._Want _to talk about... no..." she said eventually.

"Does that mean you wouldn't enlighten me if I asked?" He enquired cheekily. She smiled sadly and looked towards Vesta's farm... what could it hurt telling him?

"I had a thing... a big thing for Marlin. I was gonna tell him, a couple of days ago, but I arrived just as he was telling Celia that he loved her." She sighed deeply, reviewing it again in her head; it seemed like too much of a cruel coincidence.

"Oooh," Jack said with a pained look.

"Yeah, but it's okay, I'll get over it." She assured him.

"Yeah, I hope so. I had a kind of thing for Nami as you know, but hey Gustafa's a good... but very creepy... and possibly stoned... maybe a little too calm... what was I saying?" He asked, furrowing his brows.

"Something about Gustafa being a good something... please hurry up and finish that sentence!" She said, a disgusted expression on her face.

"Right, right. Well beneath the hippy there's a good guy and it's not like I was in love with the girl. Besides there are plenty more fish in the sea and I have a very big hook!" He said with a grin. Her eyes widened, suddenly remembering their current state of undress.

She blushed and hurried to change the subject. "You love that phrase, don't you? Remember what I said, welcome to the teeny tiny rock pool!"

"Oh yeah..." He sighed then a cheeky grin manifested on his face. "Maybe I'd better hurry up and pick..." He raised one eyebrow suggestively.

Lumina snorted. "Were you listening to anything I said about being all melancholy?"

"Yeah, I'm kidding," he looked down at his wrinkled hands. "Damn, time for me to get out!" He then stood up without even warning her and she hurried to cover her eyes. Men, how stupid were they?

A few minutes later he reappeared in his clothes, and waved at her. "Well I'm off, farming to do and such. I'll catch you around, kay?"

"Sure thing," she said with a smile.

"We should do this again sometime." He said, returning the smile.

She looked confused. "Sit together by the waterfall naked?"

He chortled. "No, I was thinking talk, but if you like..."

"I'm okay thanks... but the talking sounds good." She told him with a serious expression.

"Great, well see ya." With that he walked back to the farm with Lumina wondering, did she really just skinny dip with a near stranger? Yes, and he hadn't been such a bad guy after all, in fact suddenly the whole Marlin situation didn't seem to matter very much at all. Such is the heart of a teenage girl.

She bounced back to the inn on a cloud, after changing back into her bunny attire. When she returned to the inn she changed, feeling fresh and new, over Marlin already. Rock approached her cautiously, wondering if she was still feeling miserable.

"Rock!" she grinned at him. He smiled back, overjoyed to see her looking happy.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked with concern and she nodded the affirmative. He was filled with elation; she was over Marlin, which meant he could tell her how he felt.

"So you're over Marlin?" He checked hopefully and she nodded once again. He beamed at her, feeling his heart begin to beat.

"Yeah, I spent the day with Jack and suddenly I'm over it! He is so cute." She squealed. He could feel his heart bending with pain; he breathed deeply trying to put a muzzle on his emotions. He winced and made his face neutral once again.

"Jack, huh? What is it with you and Muffy liking the same guys?" He asked. _"While I like you." _He added mentally.

She giggled. "We both have good taste." He twitched, yep, that hurt.

"Wow... that's great, any idea who he likes?" He asked, hoping that he liked Muffy.

"Nope, but he said we could talk some other time! So I'll go visit him sometime." She told him with a grin. "I'm gonna go for a walk, wanna come?"

Rock shook his head, as nice as a romantic walk with Lumina sounded, he couldn't watch her think about Jack, or talk about Jack. What was so special about Jack anyway?

"Are you sure? Cos I'm going to Blue bar after..."

"No, you go ahead, I want to catch up on my sleep." He lied. In fact he was going to lie on his bed and mope, but that was as close to sleeping as he would get.

She frowned. "Okay, see you later."

* * *

She walked down the dirt road gazing happily up at the sky. The pure, pale azure skies were melting into a rusty orange as it melted into the royal blue of night. The ground shone with an orange glow, shining with happiness. She glanced over at the farmhouse, Jack was probably there, doing farm work and just being Jack. She felt as though a magnetic force was pulling her to the house, but she fought it, she didn't want to seem needy. She walked over to the beach and sat in the golden, glowing sand. The sea shone like liquid gold in the light, flowing like hot lava, the light bouncing off the waves. 

"Beautiful evening," someone suggested from behind. She turned to see Marlin and smiled. To think, mere hours ago the sight of him would have made her heart ache, now she felt the merest of twinges.

"Hey Marlin, isn't it just? It's almost the summer." She said with the biggest of grins. He nodded, watching the small girl with a small smile. Her hair was shining in the light, smooth and silky and her skin glowed, she looked radiant. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she was, maybe had she been a little bit older, he would have loved her more than Celia. But Celia was his life, his love, his world.

"How are things with Celia?" She asked, pulling him out of his musings.

"You know about us?" he asked in surprise. She nodded, and watched his blue eyes cloud with confusion.

"Yeah, I saw you guys together, when you told her you loved her..." she admitted, for some reason she was feeling very open. She giggled slightly. "It's funny actually, I was going over to tell you that _I _loved _you_."

"Oh," Marlin said unsure of what to say. He wondered vaguely if he'd hurt the girls feelings. But he felt somehow, that if her feelings were hurt, that that was the difference between her and Celia. Lumina was a girl, who felt like a mere crush was love, but Celia... she was a woman.

"Nah it's okay, don't feel awkward. I'm happy for you." She told him truthfully. He looked at her and smiled, maybe she was more than just a girl. She was wise beyond her years, but Celia would always be the girl for him.

"Thank you." He said awkwardly.

"I hope you guys are really happy, I think you'll be great together."

"I hope so."

"Trust me, you will." She told him with a smile. She looked at the horizon and saw the sun hide beneath the sea, to sleep and allow the moon time to dance. She stood and hugged the black haired man.

"I'm going to the bar, I'll see you." With that, she walked off.

"_She may be a girl," _Marlin thought with a small smile. _"But she's a very special girl." _

* * *

0.o 


	10. Starlight

Howdy, hope y'all had a good Easter. Thanks again reviewers:

**Chicken Yuki: **Why thank you, and this chapter'll clear up exactly who Lumina ends up with. The scene between Rock and Lumina awkward? My writing awkward or their interaction awkward, in any case I apologise. Well the "sociopathic kleptomaniac" as you so amusingly put it is quite a few chapters away, but you may just be able to work it out before hand :)

**YukiShinoya444: **Yes Rock and Lumina are somewhat awkward aren't they? I suppose I'd have to say that some couples at young ages seem to be a little like that, at least a lot of the couples I know, which is vaguely depressing ;) But they are pretty much opposites, sometimes opposites attract... sometimes they don't. But thank you, and yeah Lumina's one of my favourite HM girls too, cute and smart.

**Awesome Rapidash: **Well this chapter should answer all of your questions... :)

**Momo-chan12: **Why thankye, lol, yeah all that money would make muku-muku one rich murderous yeti and might explain why Daryl is usually so obsessed ;)

**like red on a rose: **Thank you, so you don't think the LuminaXRock pairing is awkward? So many different views... well I'm glad you like em, but so far they're just friends.

And now mes amis, time for the update...

* * *

10. Starlight

Muffy strolled down the street towards the farm, carrying a small wicker basket that was covered with a red and white checked cloth. She swung her arms forwards and back, swinging the basket merrily. She arrived at her destination and looked around for the farmer, she'd been wanting to tell him how she felt for a long time. She had visited him often, bringing him gifts of cookies and brandy snaps and he had returned the favour with gifts of pretty ores. She had an entire collection covering her bedroom shelf, they shone in the light like fallen stars.

Her emerald eyes surveyed the farm and she spotted him patting his dog, Pepper, stupid mutt. It had attacked her on every occasion, for some reason it seemed to dislike her.

"Hey, Jack!" She called, walking over and swinging her hips. His eyes fell on her and then descended lower to the wicker basket.

He grinned surveying the basket. "Oh, you didn't have to bring me stuff again! You're too kind Muffy." He told her, taking the basket from her and removing the cloth. Brandy snaps and cookies, it had to be a special occasion. He looked at her expectantly and she grinned, her cheeks flushing rose red.

"I guess you've realised I've got something to tell you..." she admitted, her cheeks begin to glow even more.

He nodded, "it would explain the feast."

"Yeah, see I think you're totally cute! I have done for a while. So I was wondering if you wanted to like... date or something. I know the guy usually asks the girl, but I figured times are changing. So you want to?" She asked, blushing furiously, her green eyes widening hopefully.

Jack scratched the back of his head nervously, he had expected this to come, but perhaps not so soon. "Oh jeez Muffy, I like you a lot but..."

She smiled and shrugged. "Don't worry about it, I just thought I'd check. But... if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

"Thanks Muffy." He said, grateful that she hadn't started to cry or anything. He watched as she walked off, feeling slightly guilty that the jump in her step had disappeared. He sighed and continued with his farm work.

* * *

That evening Rock sat at the bar stirring his drink thoughtfully with a cocktail umbrella. Those things were so colourful and cheery, it was almost depressing. He could feel Muffy's jade eyes upon him, he knew her intuition would kick in, she was the most intuitive person he knew. 

"What's up?" She asked eventually and he looked up at her with inquiring brown eyes.

"Now what would make you think that something was wrong?" He asked casually.

"Because," Muffy said with a knowledgeable smile. "You're sitting there stirring your drink that you haven't touched with a colourful cocktail umbrella."

"Why is that the most depressing thing I could be doing?"

"Because you could have drunk that and ordered another or spoke to me. Were you heartbroken you would have already drunk three stone oils, instead you're on your first blue punch." She pointed out. He took a sip of his drink and raised his eyebrows. "So I think you're both depressed and confused."

"You know, you're too intuitive for your own good Muff, but it's nothing... nothing I want to talk about anyway." He assured her. "But how about you, you seem a little off today, what happened?"

She smiled and took a seat at the bar next to him, fetching herself a Cherry Pink. She looked at the deep pink liquid and took a big gulp. "And they say men aren't intuitive. You really wanna know what's wrong?"

Rock nodded. "I told Jack I liked him today," she admitted. "He said he didn't feel the same way. That's two guys in the last month. I'm starting to feel like I'm facing a dead end."

"Ah, well if it's any consolation, you turned me down." He shrugged, it wasn't like he cared anymore, he wanted Lumina.

She smiled. "Yeah, but I just... I feel like I'm never gonna get married. None of my relationships work out." She sighed. "I'm gonna die an old maid."

"That's not true Muff, trust me you're really sweet and beautiful. You just haven't found the right guy yet..." He told her.

"I'm gonna die before I marry." She told him sadly. He shook his head and placed a hand comfortingly on her back.

"No you're not Muff, it'll all be okay." He promised her. She looked at him, as though for the first time, he really had changed. He used to be so immature and not give a donkey's arse about anyone but himself, but suddenly he seemed caring. She smiled, over Jack already, now she had Rock.

"I think you're right, I'm over Jack already. Thanks Rock." She said softly, batting her thick eyelashes. Rock remained oblivious and finished his blue punch.

"No problem, I'm gonna head on home." He told her, leaving the bar door. Muffy pouted, she wished he wouldn't leave so soon.

Rock breathed in the air, it was feeling warmer already as it approached midnight, the next day would be summer. He longed for summer, a time when he could relax in the warm grass. Maybe Lumina would finally see him as a potential boyfriend, rather than just her best friend. Still the summer looked better and brighter already.

* * *

Lumina gazed out of the window, it was so dark outside and so mysterious. The stars seemed to twinkle in anticipation of the summer; she wanted to wait till midnight so that she knew it was the summer. She didn't know why, it seemed a ridiculous ritual, but somehow it felt right. It wasn't as though she could sleep anyway, nightmares of Romana had plagued her sleep recently. A chill ran down her spine, she couldn't sleep again, not until she knew those dreams would stop. But she couldn't know, maybe the dreams would plague her forever. 

The door creaked open and she turned to see Rock enter the room cautiously.

"Oh, you're awake..." He said in surprise. She nodded, swallowing down the sad tears that were trying to make their way out of her eyes.

"I couldn't sleep." She told him, her voice soft. He nodded, he knew she hadn't slept well lately, he could see how much the Romana issues bothered her. But he had sworn to do anything in his power to solve the mysteries behind her death. Yet he said nothing, he hadn't told her that he knew about her constant nightmares, he could see how much she hated being pitied. She hated having to cry to him all the time, so he kept his mouth shut for once in his life.

"I guess I'll try to turn in..." She said softly, expecting him to snuggle into his own bed. Instead he slipped out of his shirt and continued to stare at her.

"Or I could stay in the same bed... not in that way of course... but I mean, I haven't been sleeping well," he lied. "It might help prevent my nightmares."

She watched him suspiciously but nodded, she was pretty sure he knew about her insomnia and nightmares but he refused to mention it, which was okay with her. He smiled and snuggled down with her, wrapping his arms gently around her. She closed her eyes and melted into sleep, induced by his warmth.

* * *

The next day they continued to question the people of Forget-Me-Not valley, it was a warm summers day, but not yet too hot, so they decided it would be wise to question people before they got hot and bothered. They started with the twin pyrotechnicians Patrick and Kassey. They headed to the big building the two lived in that looked rather like a big firework itself, it was made of dark wood and stood tall above some of the houses. Lumina and Rock climbed the small rope that led to the top, it looked like a fuse leading up to a firework. 

"What do you want youngin's?" Kassey asked gruffly, he was sitting on the floor playing a game with his younger brother Patrick. They both looked a little like angry gnomes with their tiny height and frowning features. They were both balding, with one small strand firing from the top of their head and the rest of the grey hair forming around like a circle of clouds. They both had crooked noses and piercing brown eyes as well as thick grey eyebrows and a long moustache that trailed off like a fountain.

The only difference between them was their clothes, underneath they both wore a white short-sleeved shirt and shorts, but their overalls were different. Kassey wore royal blue overalls with a small yellow smiley face imprinted in the middle, however Patrick wore lighter clothes, a light turquoise colour with a pink flower imprinted where Kassey's smiley face was. They both wore questionable brown sandals a strange, evil mastermind looking gloves.

"Morning," Patrick greeted with a small wave of his gloved hand. Kassey turned to Rock and burst out laughing.

Rock frowned and placed his hands on his hips. "What's so funny?"

"Heard you struck out with Muffy!" He laughed, seeming a little too overjoyed.

"So, I don't see you married!" Rock pointed out angrily.

"Shh, don't insult him, we need him to answer us." Lumina pointed out with a hiss in Rock's ear.

"I think it's them," Rock whispered, his eyes narrowing. Lumina sighed.

"What's it to you?" Kassey asked, paying no attention to the mini-conversation Rock and Lumina had held.

"Nothing... just, you must have struck out yourself... why are you so happy that Muffy turned me down anyway?" He asked with a suspicious frown.

"I... uh," Kassey said turning a deep red in colour, he was blushing.

Lumina gasped in realization, "You have a thing for Muffy."

"Shh, don't go spreading it around." He hissed, his eyes widening.

Lumina smiled sweetly. "Oh we won't, as long as you answer some of our questions."

"Alright, the _second _best pyrotechnician and I will be happy to answer." He promised.

"Good. Well we were wondering if you knew anything about the missing money or the key that my grandmother was supposed to give me, do you?"

Kassey frowned and scratched his chin while Patrick shrugged. "Nah, all we got was our one thousand gold, why do you ask?" Patrick asked.

"I was wondering if someone in the village got the key, but no one we've asked so far even knows who has it." She frowned.

"Sorry can't help you, we're as oblivious as you," Patrick told her.

"Yeah, so scat." Kassey ordered, frowning.

"Okay, we'll go, but um... what did you spend your money on?" Lumina asked curiously.

"Well we were _gonna _split it 50 50, but Kassey decided to buy the "ultimate" firework, he's launching it off sometime this summer." Patrick said, a hint of resentment in his voice.

"Cool. See ya." Rock said quickly, he was in a hurry to leave, he really didn't like the twins.

"Yeah, bye," Lumina waved with a smile, they then slid down the rope and walked away from the "house".

"Those guys give me the creeps," Rock told her with a shudder and Lumina nodded in agreement.

* * *

The day drew on and soon it was the first, glorious evening of summer. The stars were twinkling beautifully in the pitch black sky and the moon was big and round like a shining piece of gold. Lumina lay down on the green grass, feeling the leftover warmth of the ground on the dampness of the grass. She closed her eyes and breathed in the warm summer air. 

"Evening," a voice said and she opened her eyes wide.

"Jack..." she whispered with an awe-filled voice, snapping out of her daze she sat up and smiled at him. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk on this beautiful night." He asked with a grin. Lumina grinned and nodded, he held out his hand and she used it to pull herself up.

"Where do you wanna walk?" She asked, blushing when she realised he hadn't yet let go of her hand.

"Everywhere," he replied, pulling her by the hand towards the forest.

* * *

Nami was walking with her hands in her pockets, frowning at the display from Jack and Lumina, they had no right to act that couple-like. She and Gustafa had been friends... perhaps more than friends... for months and still they didn't act that much like a couple. _"Holding hands, pfft." _Her mind scoffed. 

"Makes me want to be sick," she said aloud, she felt a presence behind her and spun round to see Gustafa. She blushed looking towards the ground.

"What does?" He asked softly, taking steps closer towards her. Nami was silent for a minute.

"Couple stuff," she admitted grudgingly. She wanted to tell him that it didn't really, but her mouth wouldn't let her.

"Really?" Gustafa asked softly, his voice was now barely even a whisper. "Even this?" He then leant down and placed a soft kiss against her lips. Nami's eyes widened as she blushed furiously.

"No... t-that doesn't make me sick, it uh... it's... um..." She stammered, blushing harder. Gustafa kissed her again gently, placing his hands on her waist and Nami returned the kiss gently. They parted and Nami breathed in deeply. "Nice..."

* * *

"What happened about your arranged marriage?" Marlin asked, walking hand in hand with Celia down the beach. 

"I... I told him I loved someone else..." she whispered, sending a meaningful look at Marlin.

"Uh..." Marlin said, pretty sure she was talking about him, but not entirely.

"I am talking about you, Marlin." Celia assured him, squeezing his hand gently. Marlin grinned at her.

"Celia... I uh..." Marlin began, swallowing hard. "I love you,"

Celia giggled and then threw her arms around Marlin's neck. "I love you too!" They beamed at each other for a moment before Marlin kissed the woman he loved. _"I want to marry this woman," _his mind told him and he agreed whole-heartedly. There was nothing better than love.

* * *

"Love sucks!" Rock said, scowling at his Moon Trip. Muffy leant over the bar, making sure to give him a good eye of her cleavage. 

"What's up?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at him. He took a sip of his drink and slammed his glass down, making Muffy jump from her position.

"I'm just so annoyed, look around! Look at all the happy couples, I'm not happy, why should they be happy?" He asked, getting angry. Muffy's eyes widened, counting in her head how many moon trips he had had. She couldn't recall after the fifth one, and it was not recommended that anyone go over three. Then again she had been trying to get him slightly tipsy, then maybe she could make her move in the quiet bar.

"Why don't you become a couple...?" She suggested, batting her eyelashes again.

"With who, everyone seems to have a... stupid couple," He complained. Muffy sighed and helped herself to a cherry pink, Rock was so drunk he couldn't read her hints. No wonder he was getting overly angry.

"What does he have that I don't?" He complained, taking another swig of his creamy moon trip.

"Who?" Muffy asked, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Jack," Rock said, as though this should be obvious.

"Ooooh," Muffy realised with a small smile. He was obviously still upset that she'd had a thing for Jack when he had liked her. Well then he obviously hadn't gotten over her.

"I'm gonna go home," He said resignedly. "See you tomorrow."

Muffy was going to beg him not to leave, but she decided that in this state he was better off left alone. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

"I love you Nina, we've been together for so long!" Galen told his wife, staring into her squinting eyes. She smiled sweetly at him, holding his wrinkled hand. 

"There is nothing more beautiful than love," she mused. She took a deep breath, lately even speaking left her breathless.

"Yes there is," Nina looked at Galen questioningly. "You,"

"Oh Galen, I love you so much."

Galen raised the glass of water he was holding. "Here's to our love, for many more years to come."

"Forever," Nina corrected him.

"Of course, forever." He smiled at her and she beamed back. He knew that they would be together till the day he died. He hoped he would go first, he couldn't bear to live without his wife and he hoped he wouldn't have to.

* * *

Jack ran off into the woods and Lumina followed giggling, she then surveyed the dark forest to find him. 

"Jack, where are you?" She asked, smiling. She suddenly felt hands grab her from behind and she let out a scream.

"Shhh, it's okay." Jack said, wrapping his arms tighter around her. She breathed a sigh of relief.

She then hit him hard on the arm. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly. She smiled and leant against him. She looked up at the starlit sky once again. It was amazing how those stars seemed to have such an effect on people, looking up at them brought so many feelings. For some it brought romance, for others deep though but for most it brought awe. Those tiny little pinpricks in the sky were small suns, little life providers, the batteries of the universe.

"Do you think Romana's up there?" She asked softly, not remembering that Jack had never met her.

"Of course, if she's related to you she's gotta be." He told her with a grin. She laughed softly. "But then again it's probably like hell to her."

Lumina's eyes widened, the thought of her grandmother being anywhere like hell frightened her. Jack felt her tense against him and quickly explained.

"See being with you is the most heaven-like experience, so compared to that heaven is nothing." He elucidated and Lumina giggled.

"Oh... that's cheesy." She smiled and Jack chuckled softly.

"I've got plenty more cheesy lines where that came from. I come from the city, I've heard them all!" He said proudly. Lumina turned around to look at him with a smile.

"Let's hear them then,"

"Okay well there's, heaven must be missing an angel. Where's the nearest art gallery, your beauty could make millions, erm... what's a girl like you doing in a place like this... uh..."

"Stop," Lumina laughed. "That's too cheesy, you're telling me people use those?"

"Yup," he confirmed. Lumina wrinkled her nose in disbelief.

"I of course never used any of them..." He assured her.

"Really?" Lumina asked sceptically, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, I had much cheesier lines than that!" He told her and she hit him again gently. "I'm joking, I'm joking."

He held her hands and turned to look at her, watching how her brown eyes sparkled in the moonlight. Even all the chat-up lines and beautiful words on earth couldn't describe her beauty in the moonlight. The way the light shone off her skin making her glow, or the way her hair gleamed in the dancing beams.

"But _you _really are so, so beautiful." He told her and she blushed rose pink. He leant down and gently captured her lips in his. Lumina closed her eyes, enjoying the entirely new sensation of Jack's soft lips upon hers, her first kiss. She pursed her lips against his, tasting his lips, an entirely new flavour. She felt his hand trail down her back and felt the tingle run down her spine. They parted and she took in a deep breath.

"You really are beautiful," Jack told her.

"You're amazing," she replied before he captured her lips once more.

* * *

Now ladies and gents, that answer your questions? ;) Don't worry, future chapters won't be as sickly sweet. 


	11. Beauty and the Scientist

:) So time to thank the reviewers who are the best thing since sliced bread (and sliced bread is darn good, I mean think of all the carving up bread with knives that it saves! But I'm not here to endorse sliced bread...)

**kelley28: **Well if you can't decide then you must be okay with both, which is definitely a good thing, but I hope I made the right decision, you see I had to flip a coin (I'm joking... sorta).

**YukiShinoya444: **Aww yay, thank you, glad it made you feel all sorts of... erm... strange emotions ;) including the emotion of pudding... Is there any greater feeling than pudding?

**Awesome Rapidash: **Yeah, the first good thing to happen to Lumina so far I think, but it is a sad occurance for Rock.

**Chicken Yuki: **:) hehe, heaven-like, my new favourite adjective and thank you for all the "heaven-like" congratulations. Hmm Rock and Muffy would be an interesting couple, but Rock would first have to get over being in love with Lumina, and Rock feeling some genuinely sweet emotions happens once in a blue harvest moon. Haha, yeah the rich Mukumuku gag must be continued people! Someone's gonna have to write their own fanfiction about a rich yeti, because really the gag needs to be published!

**Momo-chan12: **Well I wouldn't want the elves to capture me again, last time they stole my kidney (no joke!), but I do have a date with one of them next Friday... what should I wear? Glad you liked the emotional descriptions!

* * *

11. Beauty and the Scientist

"Rock I'm going to the farm to help Jack, tell Ruby I've finished my chores." Lumina announced up the stairs to Rock, who was busy changing.

"What? But I thought we were going to ask more people about Romana?" Rock replied, emerging from his room and walking towards her.

Lumina shuffled her feet and looked guilty. "I kinda promised Jack I'd meet him today, I mean questioning people can wait."

"But I thought this was the most important thing to you..." Rock said, a hurt look on his face, he looked betrayed. "I thought you wanted to find out who murdered her? What if she can't rest until the murderer is caught?" He asked, filling her with anxiety. Honestly he was pretty sure that Romana would be resting just fine whether the murderer was found or not, but he wanted to keep Lumina away from Jack and with him.

Lumina sighed, he couldn't understand that this was more important for two reasons, one: she still hadn't told him about her kiss with Jack and two: he wasn't a teenage girl. She had wanted to tell him, but for some reason she couldn't, she felt somehow like he'd be disappointed in her, much like he was now.

"She can wait a day I'm sure, after all _she'd _want me to be happy..." She said. Rock caught the hint and sighed.

"Fine go ahead, but don't come crying to me when Romana blames you for leaving her in hell while you go help a stranger." He accused.

"He's not a stranger!" She protested with a pink blush on her cheeks.

"Whatever," Rock said dismissively, turning back up the stairs. She felt kind of guilty, but she really wanted to see Jack, so she ran off towards the farm.

She dashed up, grinning stupidly as she arrived at the green pastures, she couldn't wait to see him. She spotted him swinging his shining sickle and mercilessly slicing off the heads of the dry green grass.

"Jack," she greeted, her eyes shining brightly like a child would when looking upon a brand new toy, not that she saw him as a toy. He was so much more than that, he was her first love.

"Hey Lu," he smiled and she blushed, he was already using her nickname. She rushed into his arms and he held her tight brushing his lips lightly against hers. She beamed at him, happy just to be held.

Takakura watched from a distance, a look of indifference on his face, as always, which made him look unhappy. He could tell that this was first love for Lumina and that Jack was falling for the girl. He watched as Lumina ran to greet Pepper the dog, tripping in her haste and falling to the ground, Jack ran over to her looking worriedly over her fallen body and her laughing. He looked down at the ground darkly, it would almost certainly end in tears.

"I'm okay, honestly." Lumina giggled as Jack kissed her knee better for the hundredth time.

"Maybe I'm not just kissing it better any more..." Jack joked and she slapped him playfully. Lumina beamed at him, suddenly her eye caught the image of Daryl leaning by the waterfall, watching Flora closely.

"Look over there," she pointed and Jack's eyes followed to where she gestured. He spotted the scientist crouching, like a predator ready to pounce. A creature dressed in a dirty white overall, grubby green shirt and black trousers.

"What's with him?" Jack asked, holding Lumina's hand gently as he walked towards the scientist.

"I don't know, would it be wrong if we spied?" She asked, looking too innocent for the words she spoke.

Jack grinned and shook his head, "I think since Daryl's spying that it's okay to spy on a spy spying."

They walked over to the scientist and watched as he mumbled to himself, only just coherent and audible over the rush of the waterfall.

"How dare he steal my Flora, she's so beautiful, stupid Carter. Well I'll get him, I'll," Lumina's foot crunched on a twig and her eyes widened, looking like a sheep caught in the headlights. Daryl turned, surveying Lumina angrily as she looked apologetic.

"Hey Daryl," Jack greeted as though nothing had happened, his hold on her hand comforting Lumina.

"Were you spying?" He hissed, his face red, looking a mixture between angry and embarrassed. He had a slight lisp making him sound completely unthreatening.

"No," Lumina shook her head waving her hands frantically. "Of course not, we were just walking..."

"Good," Daryl said, standing up and brushing off his already filthy lab coat. "Goodbye." With that he turned on his heel and walked off. Lumina looked over the river and spotted Carter and Flora deep in conversation, Flora giggling at something he had said. Lumina gasped in realization and Jack looked at her with curiosity.

"I think Daryl has a crush on Flora! Oh poor him, you can see how close Flora and Carter are." Lumina shook her head sadly.

"Do you _really _feel sorry for him? I mean he's a creep!" Jack protested, looking over at Flora. She wasn't really his type but he'd admit the archaeologist was gorgeous with her flowing golden hair and intuitive purple eyes.

"Yeah, it doesn't matter who you are, it still hurts if the person you love is in love with someone else." She told him, thinking of herself and Marlin bitterly.

"He'll get over it," Jack said dismissively. "Now let's go inside and have tea."

"No," Lumina frowned, her hands on her hips in a way that said "don't mess with me."

"What?" Jack asked, cocking his head in confusion. Lumina found it hard to keep her stubborn pose, he looked so cute like that!

"I'm gonna go see if Daryl is okay." She turned away from him and then looked back with regret. "Maybe I'll see you around."

Jack bit his lip, _maybe_, did that mean she might not? He had never met anyone like Lumina, he couldn't imagine losing her already. But he couldn't understand why she'd walked away like that? What had he done wrong?

* * *

Lumina walked into the front "garden" of Daryl's lab cautiously, it looked rather unsafe, not to mention the buzzing of electricity that could be heard. She looked at the questionable building and inhaled a deep breath of air, _"in I go,"_ she thought grimly. She knocked on the door and Daryl answered almost immediately. His bloodshot eyes looked even redder than usual and his dishevelled black hair fell into his eyes. His thick eyebrows made a questioning frown as he watched her over his hooked nose.

"Uh... hey Daryl, are you okay? Do you want to talk?" She asked gently, trying to feel sorry for the scary person in front of her.

"No," he answered which she assumed was the answer to both questions.

"Uh, well can I come in?" She asked, shifting her feet unsurely. He sighed and stepped backwards to let her enter. She walked in and gasped, the place was a complete mess; Ruby would have a fit. She inspected the room and looked at the strange, possibly scientific writing on the blackboard. Beneath the strange symbols was engraved "Flora", Lumina smiled sadly, he was obsessed.

"Oh Daryl, you really like her, don't you?" She said, it was more of a statement than a question. She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye and knew that was the best response she would get.

"I know how you feel... see I had a thing for Marlin, but I saw him with Celia. It broke my heart, I know how much it hurts. But... I think Flora and Carter are really close, but I'm sure you'll get over it..." She said softly, really feeling for poor Daryl, it wasn't his fault he was a creepy scientist with no chance.

"You, you could help me..." Daryl said slowly, the cogs in his brain working quickly. Lumina's eyes widened and she shook her head quickly.

"No... no really I couldn't. I mean, you should move on, some things aren't meant to be." She could tell by the glazed look in Daryl's eyes that he hadn't listened to anything after the words he had said.

"Look I've gotta go, so, um... bye..." She said frowning as she walked out and he remained with the exact same look on his face.

* * *

"And he just stood there! It was so creepy!" Lumina finished telling the story to Rock who had been more than happy to listen, lately he had felt a little neglected. Still the story he had heard wasn't exactly to his liking, Lumina and Jack, the thought cut him deeply.

"So you and Jack..." He echoed and Lumina frowned. She had had to tell him about the night with her and Jack and he hadn't seemed to take it well.

"Rock," she sighed, taking his hands in her own and catching his earthy brown eyes. "This doesn't change anything between us, we're still best friends. Besides, I don't think there is a "Jack and me" anymore."

Rock's eyes brightened and his ears perked up. "No?" He barely even tried to conceal his interest.

"No, he didn't understand what Daryl had been through. He couldn't bring himself to feel for him, how could I like a guy like that? Someone who doesn't see the world past his own... perfectly shaped... nose." She said softly, a hint of regret in her voice.

"Poor Daryl," Rock said quickly, hoping for brownie points. "What are you going to do?"

"About Daryl?" Rock nodded the affirmative. "Oh I don't know, I told him to get over it and that he could talk to me, but I don't think I can do much else. He needs to do this himself. I'm just worried..."

"It'll be fine," he reassured her smiling. "You wanna go to the bar?"

She shook her head sadly. "No, I need some time in."

"Well I could stay with you," Rock offered. "We can make snacks."

"No, I really need some time alone if it's all the same to you." She said, standing up and walking up the stairs, to retire to her room.

"Sure..." Rock said softly, though really it wasn't the same, it wasn't the same at all.

* * *

Daryl sat outside the tent, a bunch of flowers in his hand, he was going to win Flora over no matter what. He could hear her giggling softly inside the tent and the light shone against her figure projecting a shadowy silhouette on the stony wall near the waterfall. Next to the feminine form of Flora was a masculine one, which he guessed belonged to Carter. His eyes filled with tears as he saw the faces of the silhouettes merge, Carter and Flora had realised their feelings.

"Oh Flora, I love you, I'm sorry I never told you."

"I love you too, I always wanted to tell you."

Daryl felt the tears trickle down his cheeks, this couldn't be, the only woman he'd ever loved. He'd never had much luck with women, but he thought Flora was different, she was intellectual. He thought she would see past his scientist looks and see the man inside, but she couldn't, she'd fallen for Carter. He couldn't let that happen, this was beyond love, this was obsession; he would win her no matter what. He had a plan. He'd get them and they'd both be sorry.

* * *

Rock sat at the bar, stirring his mockingly colourful mini-umbrella in his Stone oil. He took another sip, savouring the burn of the light brown liquid. Muffy wasn't at the bar that evening, apparently she had been too sick to work. Well that was fine with him, he'd rather drink alone. Griffin came in every so often, but just to refill drinks, he would then return to tending Muffy.

"Cheers," he muttered, gulping down the rest of his drink. He wanted to get intoxicated before the evening was over, he was drowning his sorrows. Suddenly the door swung open and his mortal enemy walked in and took a sit next to him.

"Hey," the farmer said bitterly, "quiet night?" Rock nodded and sat looking at his empty glass. On cue Griffin arrived to refill the drinks, he had heard the door open and ran down.

"Howdy y'all, what can I get you?" He asked, standing behind the bar.

"Another Stone oil," Rock ordered handing him his glass.

"Same," Jack nodded at Griffin who turned to make the drinks.

"You two alright? You both seem a little down in the dumps…" The friendly bar keeper asked with a concerned look on his face. Only Rock knew that they were both moping over the same woman.

"Women," Jack muttered, taking the thin brown liquid from Griffin.

"Ah well, I'm sure you'll sort it out. Speaking of women I'd better go tend to Muffy." He said, rushing out of the door. Rock took a sip of his drink, looking determinedly at the wall, he really didn't want a conversation with the rival for Lumina's affections.

"Hey Rock, you're really good friends with Lumina, right?" Jack asked looking at him desperately. Rock sighed and nodded, glancing bitterly at the farmer. "Has she told you anything about me?" The farmer looked so pathetically sad that Rock couldn't help take pity on him.

"Yeah, she said... she said she really liked you, but she can't have a relationship with someone who can't feel for someone else." Rock told him, wondering after he said it why he was helping this guy.

"What? It's Daryl, how am I supposed to feel for _him_? He's a total creep!" Jack complained, taking a sip of his stone oil. Rock had to agree with him there, he'd never liked the strange scientist.

"I guess, but she feels empathy for Daryl. His situation reminds her of one she once had." Rock mentally slapped himself, he needed gagging. Why was he helping this guy? _"Because you could easily like him, if Lumina didn't." _

"What?" Jack asked, leaning forward with curiosity.

"She used to have a big thing for Marlin, but she saw him kissing Celia when she was gonna tell him her feelings for him." He told Jack.

"Oh god, I must have sounded like such a jerk!" Jack slapped his forehead. "I really like her, I don't want to lose her. She's just... she's the most amazing girl I've ever met." Jack told Rock, looking down at his drink. Rock watched the farmer, he felt the same way. He suddenly felt less stupid about helping the farmer, if he felt the same way about Lumina that Rock did then he could accept him, as long as she was happy.

"She's great," Rock smiled to himself, proud that she was his best friend.

"She is, I'm gonna tell her that I understand. Thank you for everything." Jack shook his hand and ran out of the door, leaving his drink half full.

Rock sighed and picked up the cup that he saw as half empty, he downed it quickly, extra help to drown his misery.

* * *

Jack arrived and found Lumina standing by the door frowning, she watched him with curious eyes.

"Lu, I'm so sorry I was a jerk. I understand that you felt like Daryl did once and that no one should feel that way, I like you too much to lose you now. Please don't let this go... not until we see what it could be." He said quickly, not giving her a chance to say anything.

She smiled softly, tears shining in her eyes. "I was just about to say the same thing," she wiped the tears away. "Why am I crying? This is stupid."

Jack shook his head and took her into his arms, she was so small compared to him. She was so much shorter and just came up to his shoulders. "_Nothing _about you is stupid." He leant down and kissed her softly, suddenly they heard a bang from near the dig site.

They ran towards the sound and found the entire dig blown up, Daryl standing there watching. Lumina's eyes widened, grief could make people do stupid things; she just hoped Daryl hadn't done anything he would regret.

"Daryl?" She shouted desperately. "Were Flora and Carter down there?"

Still Daryl didn't answer, a mad glint in his eyes. Her heart began to beat quickly, her pulse rate rising quickly, Jack held her in a protective embrace.

"Daryl!" She screamed, her voice wavering. He turned to look at them, his eyes wide. He suddenly ran into the dig, which was now a big ruin. Lumina escaped from Jack's embrace and ran in after him.

It was dark, the torches that were usually in there had been blown up and the dust that had been disturbed by the explosion was still thick in the air.

"Daryl?" She shouted, she could hear the sound of rubble being moved as she walked in.

Jack stood at the surface, still shocked that Lumina had ran in, were Flora and Carter still in there? The two in question suddenly appeared from the tent, red faces, their clothes dishevelled.

"Where have you two...? Oh." Jack said with realization and they flushed. "So Daryl didn't try to blow you up?"

"No, we heard the bang and hurried to dress." Flora explained, looking at the ruined dig.

"All our dreams," Carter whispered sadly. Flora shook her head and gripped his hand comfortingly.

"Not all," she told him with a smile, which he returned.

Jack's eyes widened. "Lumina's in there," He took a step forward to follow her in but felt a firm hand on his shoulder. "Carter?"

"Have a little faith." He told him with a smile. Jack swallowed but nodded all the same, watching the entrance to the dig.

It was dark inside the dig and Lumina could barely see an inch in front of her face, still she shuffled through. At the end she could see a light which she continued to walk towards, all the time calling Daryl's name. Eventually she found her way to him, he was standing in front of a pile of relics.

"Daryl... what?" Lumina asked, completely confused. "Where are Flora and Carter?"

"Probably still in the tent... together." He muttered sadly. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it in understanding.

"Oh, you saw them together?" She asked sympathetically.

"Heard them," he stated, looking down at the relics.

"So why did you do this?" She asked, looking at the pile of relics. He looked at his work, these were the relics that Flora had been searching for, these would boost her career.

"They'll make Flora happy, my research informed me that I should let her go. So I decided to do this." He informed her. She cocked her head, seeing him in a new light. He really wasn't the psycho he appeared to be... well he was... but there was a good man inside.

"You're a good man Daryl," she told him. "You'll find someone someday."

"I don't intend to, research is my love interest."

"Okie dokie then?" Lumina said with a frown. "Here let me help you." They both picked up the relics and took them outside.

Lumina appeared from the dig, her arms filled with relics. Flora and Carter simultaneously gasped, looking at the relics.

"These, these are the rare relics? We can now write our book about ancient civilisations in the Valley!" Carter exclaimed, grinning at Flora. Jack pulled Lumina into his arms, thankful for her safety. He kissed the top of her head proudly.

"Thank you." Flora told Daryl sincerely, kissing him lightly on the cheek, he turned beetroot red. So he hadn't exactly got the girl, but he had made her happy.

"Told you he was a good guy," Lumina told Jack with a smile. He grinned back at her.

"You did, I was wrong." He admitted and she giggled, she still loved being right.

"Damn, I though my explosion would blow up all the important relics!" Daryl cursed.

"What? I thought you got these to make Flora happy?" Lumina asked confused.

Daryl shook his head. "No, I thought these were the unimportant finds, I wanted to tell them that these were all that had survived! But this is just what _they _wanted!"

"But you said you wanted to make Flora happy and let her go!" Lumina protested, how could she be wrong?

"No, I said that my research said I should let her go and that the relics would make her happy. I never said I wanted those things. I wanted them to be miserable like me! Their life's work down the drain!" Daryl's high pitched laugh rang out through the evening sky.

Lumina slapped her forehead. "I really thought he was a good guy," she told Jack sadly.

"I think deep down he is, he's just a little upset." Jack offered. Lumina smiled, he was probably wrong, but she appreciated the effort. They watched as Daryl stormed off angrily and Flora and Carter exchanged confused glances.

"So... are we good?" Jack asked, changing the subject quickly.

Lumina nodded, "we're good."

Jack grinned and pulled her into his arms, kissing her softly, one of those fairytale kisses. She closed her eyes, her Prince Charming.


	12. Rest in Peace

Hey guys, sorry this is so delayed, I'm in the middle of revising for my exams so I don't have much free time at the moment.

Thanks to my muses, the reviewers, you guys are the best :)

**YukiShinoya444: **Mmmm pudding. Aww thank you, and I may surprise you, I guess it depends on what you think will happen. Yeah Daryl is a creep, but I guess whatever floats his boat ;)

**Chicken Yuki: **Yep, Jack went through the stupid man phase, but I guess every guy has it sometimes, apart from some gay men. I blame the testosterone. Well I couldn't have Daryl kill anyone, after all there's already been 1 death in this fiction, and i'm afraid to say there may be at least one more. I think you should write a Muffy mini-fic, it would be very "heaven-like", perhaps you could give Mukumuku a secondary role? Well closer to appearing may be a slight exaggeration, but there will be clues within the chapters, so see if you can guess who it is before I disclose the identity :)

**Awesome Rapidash: **Thanks, I do like Jack and Lumina as a couple, and I hope I won't disappoint!

**like red on a rose: **Oooh thanks for all the adjectives, thesaurus-arific.

**Momo-chan12:** Hahaha thank you, yes the elves were a great date, there wasn't too much fighting cos I told them there was enough love to go around :) You've gotta pity Rock, but he will be getting some guidance in the future.

Thanks you guys! Now on with the chapter... dun dun dun dun dun dun...

* * *

12. Rest in Peace

_A corpse lay buried beneath the six feet of dark earth, beneath the grass and flowers that grew on the surface and beneath the stone grey tombstone. It lay inside the hard wooden coffin, resting on the white silk lining. The putrid smell of rotting flesh smothered the little air beneath and the water that once ran deep within the body was now evaporated. The corpse itself had turned a pale grey and the transparent, wrinkled skin clung to the old, yellowing bones. The eyelids had rotted away leaving the eyes wide as the full moon, the irises having rotted away leaving the entire eyeball white as a canvas._

_The once fine black gown that had dressed the body now hung dirty, once a velvety black in colour was now more of a muddy brown. The wisps of hair fell in wiry strings around the sagging face, giving the body a terrifying look. But it was trapped down there in the claustrophobic coffin, completely inanimate, dead. Maggots crawled through the holes in the body, using the veins as tunnels, dried blood hanging to the walls of the arteries. Such a nightmarish vision would strike fear into the hearts of the bold were it not hidden beneath ground, away from the eyes of men. If it can't be seen, does that mean it does not exist? Does it cease to be if the minds of humanity refuse to comprehend the horror? No._

Lumina jolted awake, her body filmed with a thin layer of sweat that was now beginning to trickle down her back. Her eyes were wide and her entire body was shaking as she struggled to steady her breathing.

"Just a nightmare, just a nightmare." She squeaked, hugging herself with her arms. She took a deep breath in and wiped her forehead with an unsteady hand. She tried to force the image of her dead grandma from her head using images of puppies and flowers instead, but the image refused to budge. She swung herself out of bed, standing in the white nightgown that Rock had stolen from the mansion for her, with her flushed, pale face she looked just like a ghost.

"What...?" She whispered to herself, examining her face in the mirror. She blinked and suddenly the image of herself looked just like Romana's corpse. She held her breath to stop from letting out a scream. No sooner had the image appeared it was gone and she let out a sigh of relief. Her first idea was to run to Rock and tell him about it, then came the idea to run to Jack, but neither felt right. Instead she slipped on her shoes and ran out over the dew filled grass.

She knelt down at her grandma's grave, breathing heavily, looking at the rotting flowers on top of the grave – she really had to change those.

"Auntie Romana? Did you call me here?" She asked the grave, hoping for some kind of sign. When none came she began to cry from frustration and fear, the dark of the dawn heightening her fear. Without thinking properly she began to dig through the dirt with her hands, pulling away the clumps of grass and throwing aside the stones. The sharp rocks cut into her hands, leaving them bleeding, but somehow she didn't even feel the pain in her state of shock, she didn't even realise she was bleeding.

"Romana!" She screamed at the grave, almost loud enough to wake the dead, but not quite. She continued to dig, oblivious of all around her, not even the rising sun.

"Hey now," she heard a voice behind her and turned to see Marlin. She could see from the fear in his eyes that she must look a state with her tousled hair, bleeding hands and dirtied nightgown.

"I... please, she... she called to me." She told him, her eyes begging for belief. He looked at her strangely, unsure of what to say. She looked completely mental digging away at her grandma's grave and he was unsure of how to deal with her.

"Lumina, let me take you home." He offered kindly, holding out a hand to her.

She shook her head, her eyes wild and red. "No," she screamed. He stepped back with panic before running to get Ruby, Rock, Jack and Dr. Hardy.

Rock was the first to arrive, carrying a warm blanket, he immediately wrapped it around her and hugged her gently. "Lu, you must be freezing."

She cocked her head, noticing he wasn't giving her the same weird look Marlin had, but then again, he understood what she was going through.

"She... she called me in a dream," she informed him, continuing to dig through the dirt.

"And you can tell me about that later, but right now you might want to come away and stop talking like a crazy person," he warned her. He understood why she was doing this but no one else would, she looked a little insane even to him. To him she was a girl who believed her grandmother had been murdered and was digging up her grave for answers, to others she was a crazy girl who had recently lost someone dear to her and had lost her marbles.

"You think I'm crazy?" She asked, her eyes innocently wide.

"No... not really, but Lu, look at yourself. See how insane this will look!" He pleaded with her, but she was too shaken for rationality. Quickly Ruby arrived followed by Dr. Hardy.

"What's going on?" The Doctor asked, his one good eye was bleary from only just having woken up.

"She's fine, I think she just had a fever which gave her hallucinations." Rock lied, holding her close to him as she continued to dig.

"Lu, come away from there, you'll catch your death!" Ruby said worriedly, watching the small girl burrow.

"No," she said, standing up suddenly. "No, my grandmother, she's in here-"

"Yes she's buried there, Lumina you know that." Dr. Hardy said calmly, but the fear in his eyes was undeniable.

"No, she... she was murdered. Did you check, did you check the body?" She asked, suddenly sounding a little more rational.

"Well yes, but only superficially. We didn't go too deep into the testing... Miss. Silverstone, she was old..." He explained.

"Not too old to be murdered. She was, I know she was, I had a nightmare that told me to come here. I want you to check." She insisted and Dr. Hardy frowned.

"But she's rotting, it may be too late, besides there were no obvious injuries..."

"I want you to test all her internal organs, everything internal. I need to make sure." She insisted and Dr. Hardy sighed.

"Fine, I'll employ some men to dig her up and take her to my office, I'll test her there." He agreed and Lumina beamed at him.

Suddenly Jack appeared, a worried look on his face. "Lu, what happened?" He asked, surveying his girlfriend.

"I... it's a long story." She said softly. "Well it's short, but I'll tell you later."

"You're bleeding," he pointed to her knuckled and stepped towards her to take her into his arms. Rock removed his arm from around her and stood at the side. Lumina looked down at her wounds, suddenly feeling the sting, it's funny how you start to feel pain when you see the blood.

"So I am," she laughed nervously. He held her tight and began to lead her away.

"Let's go get you cleaned up," he insisted, taking her towards the farm. She nodded and allowed herself to be lead, leaving Rock watching sadly.

Back at the farm Jack sat Lumina on his soft bed and grabbed some antiseptic from the kitchen which he wipes gently across her knuckles. She flinched at the stinging sensation but allowed her hands to be cleaned all the same. After he had bandaged up her wounds he made her a cup of honey and lemon.

"You wanna tell me what that was about?" He demanded, trying to keep his tone even but failing. He wished he hadn't sounded so harsh, but she had terrified him and that fact in itself had shaken him to his very core. He'd only just met this girl, only just started dating her and now he loved her more than anything else.

She meanwhile looked towards the ground wondering what her answer should be. It had felt right at the time? That was the truth, but it didn't sound very plausible.

"I... I don't know. I had a nightmare about my grandmother being trapped in her grave and just... I... I don't know what came over me." She told him, sighing deeply. She was usually such a level-headed person.

"You scared me so much!"

She looked at him with wide eyes, a delicate and questioning look on her fine features. "I did?"

"More than you should have, I mean we haven't known each other long but..." He didn't finish his sentence before Lumina placed her lips gently upon his.

"I know exactly what you mean," she assured him, hugging him tightly. He ran a hand down her back, smiling against her lips.

"So you think that Hardy will be able to discover something by uncovering your Grandmother?" He asked, cocking his head in curiosity. She nodded, bowing her head to study the wooden floor.

"Everything seems to tell me that this is right, I don't know why, but I think it is. I think I can find out if she was murdered, that will at least help me to confirm my suspicions. But I swear, if it turns out she died naturally I'll give this whole thing up." She crossed her heart, her eyes filled with honesty. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Lu, you want to just give up your fortune?" He asked, concerned about her, from what he had heard and what he had seen of the mansion she had lived quite the extravagant lifestyle. He didn't care himself, even if he did marry this girl, he would never dream of using her fortune.

"It was never the fortune I cared about. I just want justice." She said determinedly, she glanced out of the far away window. The morning was aging rapidly and the birds were tweeting, impatient for the afternoon.

"Well I hope she wasn't killed." He told her, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek. She smiled and then her eyes widened.

"Oh gosh, I've got chores to do." She said, jumping up from the bed. Jack stood too, gazing at her with an intensely protective and concerned look on his face.

"I'm sure after your ordeal Ruby can deal with your chores today,"

Lumina laughed but shook her head. "No, the work will take my mind off the verdict of the post-mortem. I really need to work until I find out. I'll catch you later," she promised before kissing him quickly and walking out of the door. Jack sighed and washed the blood off his hands, it was time to care for his farm.

* * *

Lumina sat on the sand opposite the rolling waves of the ocean, lapping the shore like a thirsty dog laps up water. The sky shone true blue over the ocean, one small cloud leaping aimlessly through the air. Ruby had insisted that she relax, apparently she shouldn't be too stressed for the verdict. 

"How fragile do they think I am?" Lumina asked out loud, through gritted teeth. She picked up a rock and threw it, watching as it skipped across the shimmering, azure ocean waves, jumping like a flying fish. She knew she wasn't fragile, sure she was younger, but that didn't mean she needed to be sheltered. She had been through a lot more than them recently, she deserved some trust.

She felt the wind pick up around her, flinging strands of her chestnut hair carelessly aside and waving her clothes like a flag. She gazed at the leaves of the trees being blown frantically in the wind, clinging desperately onto the thin twigs. The doomed green leaves that could not hold on floated away, accepting that it was their time to die. When the weather was like this Lumina could swear she felt her mother, the wind like her soft arms. She felt tears stream down her cheeks as she though about all she had lost, too much for a girl her age.

"Mommy," she cried to the wind, feeling the spray of ocean tickling her legs. She wanted to break down and cry, as she always seemed to these days, and there'd always be someone to catch her. But she didn't want to fall, she wanted to float like the green leaves, accepting their fate so calmly, she didn't want to need anymore. But she still needed her parents, her father to protect her and her mother to comfort her. How long had she been without them? She fought against the tears, wiping the strays from her face with her smooth fingers.

"Why are you always crying?" She heard as voice and she turned to see who it was, Nami stood there looking over the ocean with her. She blinked a few times, it was odd for Nami to start up a conversation.

"I just can't seem to fight the tears anymore, not since... everything." She sighed, her eyes turning to look at the red head.

"I used to... I used to cry a lot." She admitted, looking out over the sea.

"Why?" Lumina asked, she knew Nami had been running from something, but she didn't know what.

"My family, they hurt me. Everyone around me seemed to want to hurt me, but then I came here." She smiled, a rather rare sight, and glanced at Gustafa's hut.

"I miss my family," she admitted, her voice was soft, barely even audible above the howl of the wind. Nami nodded, turning her calm blue gaze on Lumina's bright brown one.

"Family are the people who care for you most." She told her before beginning to walk away. Lumina frowned, who cared the most?

* * *

Then there was evening, a dark veil dragged across the sky, sparkling with tiny stars. Lumina remained, as though frozen sitting on the sand and gazing out to sea. Sometimes she just wanted to get away, to run from her troubles like Nami. Romana had always taught her that you couldn't run forever, one day your troubles would catch up with you and they'd be worse. Things could be fixed with time, running away just delayed the healing process. But she so wanted to run, just to escape for a little while, just to give up and stop trying to be strong. 

"What are you thinking?" She heard Rock sit down beside her, breathing in his distinct scent. He smelt exotic, like distant places, like the sweetest flowers from those places mingled with smoke. He smelt just like the burning of incense.

"What am I thinking?" She reiterated his question. "I'm wondering what the verdict will be, but I'm also wondering if I'll be able to handle what it is."

"I know you will."

"How do you know that?" She asked, looking at him with a hopeful look, a look that said "what you say next could mean everything to me."

"Because you're the strongest person I know," he admitted, watching her as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She was silent for a moment, pondering her reply, whether she should tell him that she didn't believe him. So she settled for what she felt in her heart.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking deeply into his eyes.

Then he felt it, this was the moment that he could tell her, or show her how he really felt. He would give up forever just to be with her, he would die for her and this was the perfect moment. She was looking at him like he meant everything, making his heart soar and beat louder than a drum. He leant closer, taking in a deep breath.

"Lumina!" Hardy called, walking towards the beach. She smiled nervously at him before standing to speak to the doctor.

Rock sighed, _"I guess that wasn't the time." _He thought sadly. He watched as Hardy took Lumina back to the inn to tell her the results.

"You love her,"

Rock turned to see Nina smiling at him knowingly, she walked towards him and took his hands in hers.

"You should tell her." She told him, as though it was just that easy.

"I've tried," he exclaimed with exasperation. "But every time something tells me not to."

"That would be fear,"

"I'll tell her when I'm ready."

Nina chucked and shook her head, a rasping, coughing sound escaping her throat. "When you get to my age you realise when you're ready just isn't good enough. You've got to tell her how you feel or you might not get a chance."

"But what if I ruin our friendship?" He asked, panic in his voice.

"What if you don't?" She asked, her eyes opening wider than he'd seen in a long time, a twinkle shining brightly in them.

* * *

Dr. Hardy sat down opposite Lumina on one of the bamboo chairs in the kitchen, his red eye flashing at her. 

"So I inspected the body, it was hard to work with; after all it has been rotting for over a month." He informed her. How could he speak about Romana's body so casually, like it was merely a corpse, merely a shell that had once held something?

"I know, but I just needed to know if there was any possibility she was murdered."

"And she was." Hardy told her, a very serious look in his eyes. Lumina's eyes widened, so she had been right. "I found remnants of arsenic trioxide in her stomach, she was given such a high dose she didn't even had time for the symptoms. It is as though she died in her sleep."

Lumina took a moment to process this, she had suspected Romana's death to be a murder, but having her belief proven made it that bit more real.

"Oh god, then my parents..." She choked out the words, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Were murdered too, but Lumina you have no idea who the murderer is. It could be anyone." He informed her rationally.

"No, it had to be someone who was there, someone who was in the Valley at the time of my Grandmothers death and my parent's deaths." She said, a wild look in her eyes.

"Yes, but surely you're not accusing anyone in the valley?" Dr. Hardy asked, looking very shocked at this.

"Everyone's a suspect." She said coldly. "My family is dead, I can't trust anyone anymore!"

"Lumina, don't act like a child. There is nothing more we can do..."

"We could call the police and have an investigation!" She protested defiantly. Dr. Hardy had that look in his one good eye that said he wanted to hit her.

"We will _not _have police in our little Valley Lumina!" He told her, his voice rising.

"So that's it? You'll do nothing? Someone here is a murderer!" She cried, pretty sure the entire village could hear her, but not caring.

"Yes Lumina, but some things are better left." He said calmly.

"Anyone here could be next!" She pointed out, tears coming unbidden to her eyes.

"No, they killed your family for the fortune. Whoever it is, it belongs to them now. Do you see anyone especially rich in the Valley now? No! So we will not have the police investigate everyone. I know that the murderer would not have shown their sudden wealth, but we can't go and accuse anyone! You are still alive, and everyone now is safe, that's all that matters." He said softly, trying to comfort her by placing a hand on her arm.

"My family is dead!" she shouted again. She fell began to cry, her voice cracking. She now spoke in a hushed whisper. "I'm all alone."

"I know," he said, understanding her predicament. She stood from her chair, tears streaming down her face. She felt so sick, how could he know that there was a murderer among them and still do nothing? How could they punish no one for leaving her alone?

"I... I need to be alone right now." She whispered before turning to run to her room. The valley had proven that they didn't care about her enough, they were _not _her family.


	13. Asthenia

Thank you my beautiful, amazing, effulgent, sparkling, wonderous reviewers.

**YukiShinoya444: **Who do _you _think murdered her:) well I'm gonna be dropping a lot of hints.

**Awesome Rapidash: **WellI'm afraid it's not so much as who she turns to as where... and thank you, glad you liked my description.

**Chicken Yuki: **I'd be very interested to know who you suspect, but maybe just tell me if you were right after I reveal the identity. Hehe, maybe it's just the guys I know who go through the stupid-testosterone-filled man stages. And I read your Muffy story, really did make me see her in a new light, sadly I think my Muffy's pretty ditsy, but a lovely person.

**Momo-chan12: **Hehe, sorry I scared you ;) haha... :o how did you guess that it was wally and chris...? haha, i'm kidding. Well Rock's going to be getting some help soon... you'll see. Thanks.

**like red on a rose: **Aww thank you very much, glad there's no disappointment. Well I'm gonna be putting a lot of suspects on the line, but maybe you'll pick the right one.

Now let's get back to the valley, shall we?

* * *

13. Asthenia

The very next day Lumina stood in the dim sunlight, watching for the second time as her grandmother's coffin was lowered into the grave. The scraping of the shovels against the dirt hurting her ears, she remembered the sound as clearly as the first time. The dirt that had been dropped over the coffin was then patted flat, once again Romana Silverstone lay beneath the dirt. Lumina felt an arm around her waist and tilted her head back to see Jack, trying to comfort her. She stepped out of his embrace and looked at him with apologetic eyes.

"I... just need to be alone right now," she said softly, turning away and walking back towards the inn. Rock watched from the opposite side of the grave as Lumina left, he so badly wanted to hold her and comfort her, but he knew he couldn't. He also knew that he had to tell her that he loved her, just like Nina had said.

Lumina sat on her bed, the tears falling from her eyes like drops of rain fell from the sky in the summer, heavy but warm. She ran a hand through her hair and sniffed, blinking the tears away from her eyes. She breathed in deeply and dug through her cupboard for the small bag that she had used to pack up her things from the mansion. She pulled all her basic clothes out from the drawer and stuffed them into her little bag, filling it with her most precious, worldly belongings. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing, but she knew she couldn't stay in the valley anymore.

She took a piece of paper from a pad of paper she had on her windowsill and scrawled a note in black ink:

"_Dear Everyone, _

_I'm so sorry, this is just all too much, and I can't stay right now. I can't be around anyone anymore, I am so sorry. I have no idea where I'm going, but away. I don't know when I'll be back, or even if I'll be back, I'm so sorry everyone. I failed you all._

_Jack – I know I'm the worst girlfriend ever and it's not you, this isn't about you, I swear. If you move on and I come back I won't hold it against you, please do move on. Forget me._

_Ruby and Tim – thank you so much for everything, you've been great parents, and I'll miss you._

_Rock – you've been like a brother to me and I will miss you so much, thanks for getting me through this. I'm sorry that you couldn't make me stay._

_So goodbye everyone, thanks and I love you all._

_Lumina"_

With the note written she placed it on the pillow of her bed, the ink had run where her tears had splattered over the page. She looked down at the note, wondering whether she was making the right decision. But she was sick of being level-headed, she was sick of weighing out the wrongs and rights, she just didn't care anymore. She grabbed her bag and snuck down to the kitchen, she grabbed some basic snacks and a tiny bit of money, which she was sure Ruby and Tim wouldn't miss, that she would need on the journey. She then hurried to the outside of the building.

Slightly hidden by the shadow from the inn she surveyed the streets, it was early in the morning and everyone had been too depressed to stay outside, so the streets were empty. She made a run for it, rushing over the bridge and past Vesta's farm to the path leading to Mineral Town. That was the first step, she looked over at the town that she had begun to call home and smiled, she'd miss it. She then turned her back on all that she knew and ran towards Mineral town.

She arrived in Mineral town and at once asked for a room in the inn, in exchange for working there in the evening. The keeper of the inn Doug, a big man with fiery red hair and deep brown eyes that reminded her of a lion, was a very kind man and agreed. Lumina was welcomed by his daughter Ann who had the same fiery red hair which was complimented by a pair of the biggest blue eyes she had ever seen. They rivalled even Nami's in deep azure beauty.

"Hey," Ann greeted, holding out her hand for the newcomer to shake. Lumina smiled and took her hand in a gentle shake.

"How do you do?" She asked politely, she was on her best behaviour to make a good impression. Ann laughed, her eyes sparkling as they lit up.

"Oh, you were well brought up! See I had no feminine influence, so I'm a tomboy." She explained, she might as well have had a sign that said this as Lumina could tell she told everyone.

"Yes I was brought up by my grandmother, she was very proper." Lumina said, looking down sadly.

"She dead?" Ann asked bluntly and Lumina looked up again in shock. This girl was hugely tactless, but somehow Lumina liked her.

"Yes, she died recently." She nodded, fighting the tears from coming back. Ann seemed to understand that it was a sensitive subject then and smiled sadly.

"My mother died when I was very young, it's not recent, but it still hurts. My dad suffers more, if you wanna talk, I'm here." She informed her sympathetically. Lumina smiled sadly and followed Ann up to the room.

Lumina spent most of the day lying on her bed and crying, speaking every so often to Ann who was more than happy to talk. When the evening came she cleaned herself up and headed down the oak stairs of the inn.

The inn was a very historical building according to Ann, it had been built about a hundred years ago and still had the old fashioned decorations. It was a wooden room, filled with wooden tables and chairs, giving it a very natural effect. It was also very cosy with a warm fire at the head of the room and rugs dotted here and there. For decoration there were various pairs of antlers hung in the room, obviously from the hunting of elk and deer. To the side of the room, opposite all the tables was a long wooden bar that was shiny and glass, having been cleaned very well over the years. Everything in the room gave the inn a cosy homely affect and the dim lighting in the evening really added to the comfort.

But it was not just the lighting and décor of the inn that made it the social, happy and inviting place it was, it was the people. Doug was happy to talk to all the townspeople about their day and offer advice all the while refilling the drinks with delicious warm cider that was truly the best in the world. Then there was Ann who made a chirpy and spirited waitress, taking orders and bringing drinks with a happy smile. Lumina did her best to stay on track throughout the evening, but she found it hard to keep up with the town's demand for alcohol. Blue bar could never hope to be as full on the busiest day of the year as the inn was then.

After a long evening of working Lumina was exhausted as she collapsed on her bed to sleep, the next day she would take the boat over to some exotic land.

As soon as Forget-Me-Not Valley heard that Lumina had run away from home, they were in distress. Everyone was worried about the young girl's safety, but more than that, they wondered how they would handle life without her. Jack was in tears and barely able to take care of the farm, but the person who took it the hardest was Rock.

"I can't believe she's gone." He told Nina bitterly, he liked talking to the old lady, she really listened and offered good advice. He flinched, the way he had discovered she had left had been the worst.

He had run into her room to tell her that he was in love with her, his stomach fluttering and his heart racing. He had brought her a bunch of fresh flowers and had pushed open the door to her room and found her absent. He had seen the note on the bed and read it as tears slid slowly down his cheeks, much like they had slid down Lumina's as she wrote it. He had felt his heart tear in two then, knowing the person he loved best in the world was gone.

Still talking to Nina he felt empty, he had handed his parents the note a mere two hours ago and they in turn had told the rest of the town.

"She's a brave, smart-"

"Smart?" Rock interjected. "That was the stupidest thing she could do, running away!"

"She couldn't take it anymore, the young girl's been through a lot. She'll be fine and she'll be back, I promise." She assured him.

"How can you know that?" He asked, his voice cracking with pain. He wanted so badly to believe she would be back.

"Because she has to come back to her family,"

"She has no family here!" Rock disagreed shaking his head sadly.

"Family are the people who love you the most." She said softly and Rock frowned, if she was right, then they were Lumina's family.

The next morning Lumina stretched out on her cosy bed, throwing the soft cotton sheets off her and lying in her bunny pyjamas. Her soft eyes surveyed the window opposite her bed, looking out at the light blue sky. It was exactly the soft, azure blue of a small, clear pond on a summer's day. The light filled her eyes, reaching every corner of her pupil and causing her to shut her eyes tightly. She was still a little worn from the night before, even after the best night's sleep she had had in a while, and for her the morning had come too soon.

She hurried to dress, all the while listening to the gentle twittering of the summer birds, which it seemed had awoken specially to serenade her. She felt strangely serene, like leaving had lifted a great weight off her shoulders. After all she was far from the murderer and far from the accusing stone tablet that marked Romana's grave and therefore couldn't be further from everything that had been troubling her. Except she could be further, in fact she intended to be less than two hours from then when she would board a ship to some island.

She didn't exactly know which island she would travel to, somehow she didn't think it mattered, as long as it was far away from this one.

"Morning," she heard Ann chirrup, much like the songbirds that had serenaded her.

"Good morning," she greeted, placing a delicate hand to her mouth as she yawned.

"Breakfast?" Ann asked, leading the way down to the bottom floor of the inn.

"That would be wonderful, what do you have?" She asked, taking a seat at one of the big, wooden tables.

"Erm... how do pancakes sound?" She asked. Lumina blinked, at breakfast she had been accustomed to have toast, cereal or porridge, something basic to last her the hours until lunch. But pancakes sounded like a sweet treat indeed, she could tell that even though Mineral town was a little old fashioned it was still a few years ahead of the valley.

"Perfect," Lumina smiled as Ann hurried to make them.

Soon she returned with a large stack of golden pancakes, oozing with sweet maple syrup that trickled down the tower of pancakes like streams trickled down mountains. She quickly devoured them and Ann watched, her eyes widening, usually Lumina ate so politely.

"Sorry, I haven't had pancakes in a while." She bowed her head apologetically but Ann waved her hand and smiled. She already knew that Lumina had been a rich girl and now suddenly she had barely a penny to her name.

"So where you headed?" Ann asked, her intense blue eyes surveying the girl who was at least five years younger.

"Wherever the wind takes me I guess." She admitted, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

"Wow, I wish I could do that. But I couldn't leave my Dad, besides, I love it here!" She exclaimed, glancing around the inn to demonstrate your point.

"I don't have any family to tie me down. Besides, my grandmother's murder was getting me down." Lumina told her with a small sigh, she was trying her very best to forget. Ann nodded, among the other things she and Lumina had talked about the previous evening was Romana's untimely death. Ann had been shocked, but now at least she understood why Lumina had to leave.

"Well if you ever need a familiar place to stay, you're always welcome here." Ann assured her with a smile. Lumina beamed at her and glanced at the big grandfather clock located near the bar.

"Well anyway Ann, I'd really better be leaving. But it was very nice to meet you and I hope we meet again." She said whilst giving Ann a tight hug. The red-headed girl smiled before running to fetch Lumina's bag for her.

Lumina arrived at the beach a little early, leaving her with the time to observe the scenery at her leisure. The beach had soft golden sand which the lazy sapphire blue waves lapped happily against with a deep roar. A long wooden dock extended from halfway up the beach to about twenty metres into the sea. It was held up by thick wooden poles that were covered in various sea life: periwinkles, water snails and different species of seaweed.

To access the beach from the town square there were built light pink steps made from smooth bricks, much like the flooring of Rose square itself. The steps were sprinkled with sand which had found its way there from the bare feet of people hurrying to leave the beach as high tide came in, or those simply too lazy to remove the sand before heading home. To the left of the steps if you faced the sea were two small buildings, one belonging to Zack, the big beefy man who collected produce and sold it to buyers and also a strange man called Won who sold questionable items. The other small building which boasted a colourful umbrella was a beach hut which sold delicious snack foods and only opened in the summer.

Lumina gazed out over the rolling ocean waves, waiting for the small boat that would take her to somewhere new. She had a small feeling of dread that told her that she was making the wrong decision. That feeling spurred on another, hope, the hope that someone would come and rescue her from making a mistake. But no one came.

"_I guess no one really cares enough about me. No one came to find me." _She thought bitterly. Maybe that was a good thing, at least now she would have no regrets about leaving them behind.

Finally the boat pulled up against the dock and the captain tied the old, frayed rope to a pole.

"Excuse me, where's this boat headed?" Lumina asked the Captain, who looked like a friendly man. He smiled at the girl and offered her his hand, which she took politely.

"The names Captain Newman, I be heading to an island very near here called Seashell Island, and I be running another trip there next week." He told her. He definitely looked the part of Captain, with his smart blue uniform and shaggy beard of white hair. His twinkling blue eyes surveyed her; he was wondering why a young woman would leave a small island with no one by her side.

"That sounds great, how much is the boat?" She asked, pulling out the small amount of money she had brought from her bag. "This is all I have..."

"Tell ye what, I'll take half yer gold and if ye want to return then ye shall pay the same? How does that sound?" He asked kindly. She beamed at him and handed over half the money.

"Thank you very much." She told him, before boarding the ship.

Captain Newman smiled to himself as he stood waiting for the other passengers that he knew he had taken here previously from Seashell Island; he knew that the girl would be on the return trip to Mineral town.

Finally after waiting for everyone to board the Captain climbed on deck and faced the small young woman. He leant down to her level and looked her in the eyes, if she was unnerved by this she didn't show it, she simply eyed him curiously.

"Ye be sure ye want to leave?" He asked her, he was giving her the "you can turn back now" talk. She shook her head and he sighed, she'd have to learn the hard way. He untied the boat and soon they were sailing away from Mineral town.

Lumina sat on the edge of the boat, looking out over the rails. The sea thrust itself furiously against the boat, white foam forming at the top after the clash, like the white froth that forms on beer. The wind tosses her hair wildly, so everything she saw was covered by the haze of her brown locks. She could feel the sea spray in her face and could smell the salty sea air; that was the smell of adventure.

"This is the furthest I've been from home since I moved to the valley." She told herself aloud. But she hadn't truly been home, not when she had no family. After all home is where the heart is and her heart didn't seem to be able to decide where it wanted to be anymore.

"So long Forget-Me-Not Valley."

* * *

And so Lumina runs from her problems... till next time. :D 


	14. Wherever You Will Go

Well this was my chance to put Lumina in a different setting, and to finally give her a little peace after her Grandmother's death.

Thanks to the reviewers:

**YukiShinoya444:** Ooh nice new word use... it's just like cluedo really... she was murdered in the mansion with a toothbrush by...? ;) Anyway thank you :)

**Awesome Rapidash: **Hooked eh? Well at least that means I can keep providing the drug :) I'm glad you like Ann's personality, she later becomes a much bigger part in this fanfiction. Thanks alot :)

* * *

14. Wherever you will go

When Lumina first arrived on Seashell Island the first thing that struck her was the sheer beauty of it. She had believed that the valley was the most beautiful place she would ever see, but Seashell Island was truly heaven on earth. Everywhere was covered in lush, green grass. They say "the grass is always greener on the other side" but here it was true. This grass made the green substance that covered the ground in the Valley look like limp, rotting weeds.

Where there wasn't grass clean, pale pink bricks covered the floor, they looked as though they were all new; but they couldn't possibly be. Pale houses made from the native stone, which was a glimmering marble type stone, stood shining in the sun. The ground was relatively flat, but with a large mansion on one big, green hill in the centre. Lumina guessed that the mayor would live in such a house.

As she ventured further into the village she saw that a thin mist coated the air, adding a strange mystery to the place. She spotted a big waterfall past the large mansion and guessed that was the main producer of all the mist.

"Beautiful..." she breathed in awe, the village was so beautiful it was inspiring. Everything about it told of lush vegetation and delicious crops.

"Isn't it?" A voice came from behind her. She turned to see a small, old lady with warm brown eyes. The lady reminded her a lot of Romana, she had the same shaped face, but perhaps with a softer nose.

"Yes, it's the most amazing place I've ever seen." She admitted, her eyes were glazed over with admiration. The woman chuckled and took a step closer to Lumina.

"Yep, this is home, sweet home. You must be new here, where are you from?" The woman asked, looking at her with curiosity.

"Forget-Me-Not Valley, it's a pretty place but it doesn't even compare to here!" She admitted, looking enviously at the woman. But why should she be envious? This was to be her home too, from then on.

"Oh yes, I believe I've been there before. My dear friend Romana lived there... she passed away recently I believe. Did you know her?" The woman asked and Lumina's eyes widened.

"Yes, she was my grandmother!" She exclaimed.

"Ah, you must be Lumina. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Ethel." Ethel said, offering her a wrinkly hand. Lumina shook it, beaming at the woman.

"I'm glad to meet you, how did you know my grandmother?"

"Well there'll be plenty of time to talk about that. Why don't you come over to my house and we shall talk, you must be hungry." Ethel said kindly and Lumina felt her stomach rumble.

"Thank you!"

* * *

Rock swallowed down the lump in his throat as he sat by the pond in the forest. He still felt like crying, he couldn't believe Lumina was gone. But no one had gone after her. There had been a small meeting to decide whether they should follow the girl. But they had decided to see if she came back within two days and if she didn't, to follow her. Rock had protested that she would have left Mineral town by then and that if she had left there, they would have lost her forever. 

He looked into the calm pool of cold, empty, blue water. That was exactly how he felt, cold, empty and blue. He wondered how Jack was holding up, he must be taking it just as hard. But he knew Jack couldn't possibly care more than him, that was impossible.

"Please Lumina, please come back home." He whispered.

* * *

As it turned out, the big house on the hill on Seashell Island belonged to Ethel. It also turned out that she was the wife of the Mayor. Mayor Edward was a stout man, with curly white hair and twinkling blue eyes. He was a jolly and friendly sort that Lumina took an instant liking to. 

"So what brings you to Seashell Island?" Mayor Edward asked, whilst taking a bite from the scones that their butler had laid out. Ethel had insisted of a delicious spread of scones, crumpets, tea and mini-sandwiches as a snack. They sat in the large dining room on a small table with comfy armchairs. Apparently they had both decided on a small table because it was less isolated, which Lumina had to agree with.

"Well ever since Romana died I've been having a hard time. See she was murdered and the murderer stole the key to her fortune that was supposed to left to me." Lumina recited the story and watched the shock on Ethel's wrinkled face.

"Murdered? Oh dear, do you have any idea by whom?" She asked, leaning closer to Lumina with intrigue.

"No, do you?"

"Why no, as far as I know she was liked by everyone. But it must have been someone in the valley." Ethel told her, trying to be helpful.

"Yeah that's what I thought. I don't think anyone disliked her, I just think they wanted her fortune. They murdered my parents too." She told them sadly. Ethel sighed and dropped her silver spoon into her tea and stirred thoughtfully, as though stirring the tea might initiate thought in her brain.

"A great tragedy, but it is in the past. For the moment let us let the past to the past. Tell me, what are you doing so far from home?" Ethel asked placing down her cup and leaning back in the chair, watching Lumina like an owl might observe the creatures beneath it.

"I couldn't take being around the people and wondering who murdered my family. So I had to run and I decided to start a new life away from the past." She explained, feeling slightly nervous under Ethel's intense gaze.

"Sometimes running from your problems can be the worst thing you can do, you could regret it forever." Ethel's gaze was even more intense now, watching Lumina's every moment and seemingly gazing into her soul.

"Maybe I'll go back some day, but right now... I just can't face it." She admitted softly, her small hands in her laps now as she raised her head to meet Ethel's gaze head on.

"Time away... yes it could be helpful I suppose. Do you intend to remain on Seashell Island?"

"I guess so, it's such a beautiful place and-"

"It is!" Ethel interjected swiftly. "In which case you will stay with me, I can't have a young girl like you walking the streets alone, now can I?" Lumina didn't know whether to agree or not, was it a rhetorical question? She settled with a polite smile and a small "thank you."

"Of course, let me allow James, our butler, to show you to your room." She said, gesturing elegantly to a tall man dressed in a smart black suit. He was slightly balding and his coarse brown hair formed in a wreath around his head. He had a slightly hooked nose that loomed over a serious mouth. Lumina nodded and followed the man to a large room.

The room was beautifully decorated with subtle shades of pink, even the huge four poster bed was of a light fuchsia shade. The room was of an elegant taste and gave the impression that it belonged to one of noble birth. Lumina smiled as the thought popped into her head, she would be residing in that room for as long as she wished. Suddenly it was like she was back at the mansion again, a lady of leisure. That thought left her with a feeling similar to that of flying.

"Please call if you would like anything, m'am." James told her with a low bow. She grinned at him, a happy blush spreading across her soft cheeks.

"Thank you," she said with a grateful smile. It was amazing to have a butler again, she had almost forgotten how much she missed Sebastian. Now that she thought about it, she missed him like crazy. She missed him like a fat person would miss cakes were they to decide to give them up for the good of their health.

Immediately she dived onto the soft bed, enjoying having a double bed to herself. It was an amazing thing to get back exactly what she had before, something that she had thought she would never have again. She grinned to herself, she never wanted to leave.

* * *

"So it's decided," Griffin said with a voice filled with authority. "We will send Nami to Mineral town in order to search for Lumina. However if she had no luck there, then I'm afraid we can search no more." 

Rock slammed his fist down on the table. "That's not good enough!"

"It's the best we are willing to do. She left 'cause she wanted to, so we have no right to stop her. We just have to try our best to convince her to come on home." Griffin sighed.

"But..." Rock tried to protest, but he knew Griffin was right. If Lumina didn't want to come home there was nothing they could do.

"I'm ready to leave," Nami told them, a small, worn brown rucksack in her left hand.

"Why've you got so little stuff Nami?" Gustafa asked with curiosity.

"So that you know I'm gonna come back," she shrugged. Gustafa frowned and she sighed, men could be so dense. "I don't have all my stuff so I'm not going to leave."

"I know you wouldn't anyway." Gustafa said casually. A challenging glint appeared in the calm blue of Nami's eyes.

"What?" She asked through gritted teeth. She would submit almost anything to Gustafa now, but her freedom and unpredictability should never be challenged.

"I know you love me."

"I could still run-"

"No," Gustafa interjected. "You couldn't." Nami wanted to argue but truly she knew he was right. So instead of picking a fight she changed the subject.

"Well I'm off, wish me luck."

"Good luck!" Everyone chorused and with that Nami slung her bag over her shoulder and strode out of Blue Bar.

* * *

Lumina had so far enjoyed being a lady of leisure; she had already spent three days on the island. In her time she had walked around the island many times, just enjoying and admiring the beautiful scenery. She had also been learning the layout of her new home; after all she intended to remain there. Ethel had been very kind to her, giving her no reason to want to leave, other than the constant reminders of home. Ethel would constantly ask her if Lumina thought she was making a mistake. Lumina would always reply that she knew she wasn't. 

But sometimes, she wasn't so sure. She would think of home, she would think of all her friends and loved ones. She constantly missed Rock and Jack, some nights she would ache to see them so much that she considered running back to them immediately. But that would pass, she had promised herself, of course she wouldn't miss them forever. But she still had three days to decide whether to go home or not, the captain had given her the option of turning back. She still didn't know what to do.

The night before she had to leave she sat wide awake on her bed. The moon was so intensely bright that the beams shone through the window in such a way that the entire room was flooded with white light. She was sitting cross legged in a meditative position, gazing out at the street below. The light was too bright to sleep, so she contented herself with staring out over the hill. She could hear the owls hooting outside the window as though calling her outside.

The wind blew in the trees making them dance, tapping against the windows to call Lumina out to join them. She was so tempted to leave the room, so terribly enticed that she slipped on the soft, marshmallow like slippers that Ethel had leant her and slipped on her nightgown. The entire outside world was illuminated with white light and her feet seemed to lead her out.

After sneaking through the house and dodging every creaky floorboard she arrived on the hill. She steadily made her way down and found herself on the glowing white stones of the street. The wind seemed to howl her name as it whistled past her ears.

"Hello?" She said into the streets, feeling somewhat unnerved by the silence. She felt a hand on her shoulder and her heart beat faster, she turned quickly to see and unkempt looking beggar staring at her.

"You don't belong here," he told her. Lumina's eyes widened, the beggar had to be unstable, this was a dangerous situation and she needed to leave.

"Okay, just please let me go home." She said with forced calm in her voice so as not to startle him. He let go of her shoulder and she turned to walk back to the mansion.

"No, your real home," he told her with a raspy voice. "You're not from around here."

"No," she agreed, suddenly intrigued by this strange man. She figured she was vulnerable enough that if he was going to attack her he would have done so already.

"Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you. I've seen you around and I'm telling you to go home." He said almost anxiously, he really seemed to want her to leave.

"But this place seems perfect-"

"It may seem so, but it ain't. You come here to escape your life and eventually this place takes it. It may seem like a haven, but really it's a distraction. I had my chance to go home, but I chose here." He told her, a glint of regret in his eyes.

"Is... is this placed cursed?" She asked with wide worried eyes. This man was starting to convince her to believe the worst, what if Ethel was really an evil spirit?

The man let out a loud, throaty laugh. "No, none of that nonsense, it's a pretty place filled with good people. I've just never been able to settle down. Go home, it's where you're meant to be."

Lumina's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "You don't know what I've been through there, I can't go back!"

"Everyone who comes here's been through a lot, it's why they come. To escape it, this place is somewhat of a Shangri-la, it's heaven on Earth, but it'll keep you from your life. Your life isn't here, go home." He told her. Lumina knew it was nonsensical but she also believed the crazy old man was right, she really needed to go home. Ethel too had been right, she couldn't run from her problems, she had to face them head on.

"You're right, I'm going home."

* * *

After three days Nami had returned bringing the news that Lumina had left them, for Seashell Island, there had been a gasp at that. Most of the elder villagers seemed to know that if someone went to Seashell island, they didn't come back. Some said that it was a haven, others said it was cursed, it really didn't matter to Rock – Lumina wasn't coming back. 

Tears had been shed, but everyone had given up hope. Rock too had given up hope of her ever coming back to the Valley, that's why he had vowed to find her. He would search the far ends of the earth for her if he had to, but he was kind of hoping she would still be on Seashell Island. If that was where she was then that was where he would go, anywhere was home as long as she was there.

So he said goodbye to the people of Forget-Me-Not valley, deaf to their protesting. His parents waved him off sadly, but did not try to stop him; somehow they knew he had to do this. He packed his small bag; he would have no need for worldly possessions so long as he was with Lumina, the light of his life. He then headed off to Mineral town and following that Seashell Island.

* * *

Lumina woke up snuggled amongst her sheets, it was strange how she didn't remember getting home last night. She remembered the man though, had it all been a dream? It didn't matter, she was going home. She packed her bags quickly and dressed, before running to find Ethel. 

"You're leaving," the old lady stated as soon as she saw Lumina who frowned.

"How did you know that?" She asked and Ethel chuckled.

"I always knew you wouldn't get trapped here Lumina, because you're a relation of Romana, she didn't stay here either." Ethel said with a sad smile.

Lumina's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

"Yes dear, where did you think I met your grandmother? That was a long time ago, but I still remember that she was the one to leave and I knew that you would too." She said with a remembering smile.

"Thank you... for everything." Lumina said, suddenly filled with emotion, she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"It was nothing, now you'd better go so you don't miss the boat, James has already fetched your bags." Ethel told her. Lumina shouldn't have been surprised that Ethel had anticipated that. Lumina nodded before throwing her arms around the old lady.

"Thank you for everything, I'll never forget you." She promised, she said goodbye to James and then grabbed her bags. She then headed down to the docks.

* * *

Rock stood at the docks at Mineral Town, waiting for the boat. He had been told that he had just missed its last journey to Seashell Island for a long, long time. But he was hoping to convince the Captain when he arrived back, after all, how could he say no to a boy in love? He sat on the bench and watched the ocean waves, he wasn't worried about leaving, as much as he would miss everyone, as long as Lumina was there he had everything he would need.

* * *

Lumina found the sea captain about to leave, and she hurriedly dashed over. She handed him the money and smiled. He nodded knowingly and watched her board the ships, he could always pick out the strong ones, the ones that would return home. 

Lumina could feel her heart pounding all throughout the journey, she couldn't wait to see everyone again. She was returning home, no matter what she had thought, the valley really was her home and nothing could change that.

After hours of waiting Rock finally saw the boat hit the dock and he stood up, this was it, he was leaving all that was familiar to be with the girl he loved. The morning sun was bright as he watched an angel step out of the boat, the most beautiful sight in the world. As long as Rock had lived he had never cried tears of happiness, but then he wept, the woman he loved had come back to him. He watched with delight as her brown eyes widened in shock as she saw him. She then ran towards him and dived into his arms.

Rock had never felt so happy in his life, she was back, she was safe and she was in his arms, right where she belonged.

"Oh god Lumina," he said softly, he wanted to tell her everything but this was not a time for words. This was a time of pure emotions which both Lumina and Rock could feel from the hug, they had both come home.


	15. Of Home and Van

Hey again guys, thanks so much for reviewing, you guys are amazing :)

**YukiShinoya444:** Hehe, wouldn't want you to be speechless, have some pudding... or talk about pudding, it heals all :) thanks

**Chicken Yuki: **There's a LuminaxRock crowd O.o is there also an anti-LuminaxRock crowd? If so, which one is most likely to throw stuff at me if I anger them? Ah no stupid man phase for Lumina, then again there could be stupid woman phases to come, but stupid woman phases are more overemotional (I don't deny that women can be darned overemotional, but so can men, people do in general really... hmmm). Ahh Crazy Old Guy, what would we do without him? I'm thinking Crazy Old Guy mini-fic (I jest). Hmm I doubt Rock would survive his own trial on the island, especially without Lumina. CliffxNami fic, nice idea, perhaps you will create this perfect fic? If ya do, tell me that you have! Well then lets bring back the MukuMuku running gag, come on people, bring it back or you get slapped with a wet fish by the lovely MukuMuku himself ;)

**NightimeRoseOX: **Ooh, thank you for the many many comments, it was a very lovely surprise I must say :) Ooh, so I'm guessing you're of the LuminaxRock crowd eh, eek, so many wonderful people, so hard to please 'em all ;) Well anyway, update has arrived, hope it doesn't disappoint!

**Awesome Rapidash:** Gorsh, good fanfiction fix, ooh well I'm so flattered, you're gonna make me blush... Uh deal with Seashell island, I guess it's a place that Lumina had to go to in order to sort things through in her mind, it's basically offering her paradise like a forbidden fruit and if she accepts it she would leave the valley forever, luckily she resists thanks to crazy old man. Thank you :)

**like red on a rose: **Nah no murderous islanders... nice idea though... hmm... hahah. Well actually I'd say this fanfiction will be a teensy bit longer than The Truth About Life, eek, that's a lotta reading for you guys and a lot of writing for me :S

**gothangel12345: **Why thank you, another one for the LuminaxRock crowd, I'm gonna have to do a tally for each crowd... Yeah you do have to feel sorry for Romana, but trust me she's in a better place. Thank you, and what kind of weird stuff would I have to have done to join WUAC?

**Disodo: **Ahh, I think I may write too much sadness, hmm, well anyway thanks for the review :)

My my that's a lot of prestory writing, I've gotta start cutting down... anyway, on with the story:

* * *

15. of Home and Van

When Lumina arrived back in the Valley, lead by Rock, she found not only relieved hugs but stern words. Rock received the same kind of greeting but he was excused a little for bringing her home. But no matter how many stern comments Lumina received she couldn't care too much, she was too busy appreciating being back. The best thing about being back though had been seeing Jack, she could still see in her mind the warm and thankful smile he had greeted her with. She could hear his voice still, telling her how much he had missed her.

* * *

Lumina had been home for a week and already the Earth had circled around the sun enough so that it was halfway through autumn. The crisp, golden leaves had already fallen to the ground in deep piles and the leaves on the trees had turned dark red, if not brown already. The weather was cooler and people enjoyed spending their time outside without feeling the heat too much. 

Lumina was sitting with Jack on the grass outside Gustafa's hut, eating a delicious picnic that Ruby had provided for them.

"I like the autumn," Lumina stated after taking a large bite of succulent apple, the sweet juice dribbling down her chin a little, before she wiped it off with a napkin. Jack nodded silently, his eyes glazed over as thousands of thoughts weaved around his mind. He wanted to tell Lumina so much, he had wanted to ask her why she had left since she arrived, but he had never felt it was the right time. She had never even brought the subject up, so he could only guess that she didn't want to talk. But he still felt he needed to know...

"Lumina," he said softly, looking up thoughtfully at her cheerful face.

"Yes Jack?" She asked with a smile, cocking her head to the side cutely, in such away that her chestnut waterfall of hair fell around her shoulders.

"I need to-"

"Oh look!" Lumina interjected, pointing past the inn at a large man with greasy, black hair tied in a ponytail. "It's Van!"

Jack sighed and looked over to where she had pointed, indeed Van was there for another one of his sales. "That's nice Honey, let's ignore him..."

"I haven't seen him in a long time, it's only polite to greet him." She said knowingly, even if she was no longer a rich ladylike girl, she still felt it was proper to keep up her manners. "You don't mind do you?"

"No I suppose not, you go, I'll finish eating and tidy up."

Lumina beamed at him before running off towards the inn, leaving Jack to ponder over his thoughts while tidying up their ruined picnic.

Lumina hurried into the inn to find Van standing opposite a worried and frustrated looking Tim. She felt like laughing, she knew how worried Tim always was when Van came to the inn. He somehow thought that the top floor would fall down with Van's weight upon it.

Van was very fat, in fact it was thought throughout the town that Van had more chins than a Chinese phonebook. It was rumoured that Van had eaten an entire family of Sumo wrestlers to gain the weight he had, but this was just a rumour. Likely his large mass was due to the fact that he had eating problems, or rather, the lack of them -he had no trouble eating. Lumina put this down to psychological issues, perhaps he was deeply discontented. So there was probably the vicious cycle, he ate because he was unhappy and he was unhappy because he ate.

"Good afternoon Van!" Lumina greeted, bowing her head politely. Van turned, surveying her through his thin rimmed spectacles, his piggy eyes smiling at her. As his mouth followed his cheeks bulged out to the size of Vesta's prize winning tomatoes.

"Why Miss Lumina, what a pleasure!" Van replied with a smile, he was now one of the only people who still referred to her as "Miss Lumina". He still liked the girl from her rich days when she and her Grandmother would buy plenty of expensive items from him. Besides he had always like Romana, she had given him wonderful dieting tips.

"Oh no, the pleasures all mine. We haven't seen you here for a while, wherever have you been?" She asked politely. Van wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and then shook his head sadly.

"Since your grandmother died business here hasn't been good. Besides, the visits aren't quite so enjoyable with her gone. But I decided I would try business here once again." He explained moving his podgy hand in wild gestures as he spoke. "How have you been getting along?"

"Better, still not wonderfully, but things are improving. What have you been up to?" She asked. She glanced towards Tim who was leaning against his desk looking frustrated, he obviously wanted to be rid of Van as soon as possible. She offered him an apologetic smile.

"You know, this and that. I've been trying a new diet called the "Matkin's diet" and let me tell you, the pounds have been dripping off!" He exclaimed, placing a hand on his mountainous belly.

"Really?" Lumina asked, looking at him and forcing herself to remain serious. He obviously hadn't lost a single gram, but she really couldn't bring herself to tell him.

"Yes, you have to bash your head repeatedly with a bat whilst shouting "I'm a complete idiot to believe in this diet". Isn't that strange? But it seems to work!" He told her with a wide grin. Her eyes widened, she had never heard anything more ridiculous and she couldn't tell if Van was joking or not. But all the diets he used sounded ridiculous, so perhaps he really did believe this one was working.

"Er... Congratulations?" She said unsurely. Tim snorted and Van turned to face him.

"You should really try it Tim, you've been packing on the pounds lately!" He told him. Lumina had to clap a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing, especially at the look on Tim's face.

"Well anyway I really must dash, I have to set up my stall. See you all later." He said before hurrying (hurrying in Van's case is more of a waddle) out of the inn. As soon as he left Lumina and Tim burst out in fits of laughter, howling and roaring.

* * *

Rock sat in his room, he could hear Lumina and Tim laughing below, he loved to hear her laugh, her soft musical laugh. After she had returned home everything had just gone back to normal, Jack and Lumina were doing well and Rock was just dying to be him. Yet he still hadn't told her how much he loved her, he hadn't been able to, not since he had found a note instead of her. He might have still decided to tell her were it not for the fact that he had seen her and Jack so happy together. 

So he guessed he would never tell her, how could he? If she really loved Jack then he'd just be ruining their friendship for nothing, maybe one day he'd be able to tell her.

* * *

Lumina followed the path outside to find Van trying to sell Jack a goat, she snorted, she knew only too well that those things stopped giving milk after a year. From then on they were useless and just took up room in the barn. She laughed slightly, she remembered when she had convinced Romana to buy them a goat and after it had stopped giving milk Lumina had treated it more of a pet. She'd called him Beethoven, she wasn't sure what the composer would have thought of being named after a goat, but she had loved him so much. Sadly Romana had insisted on selling him and Lumina hadn't spoken to her for a week. She now missed Romana more than she had ever missed the goat. 

"Jack, don't buy a goat." She said, raising her eyebrow at Van.

"Oh but I love goats!" He protested with a goofy grin on his face.

"The man knows what he wants!" Van agreed, reaching out a greedy hand to take Jack's money.

"But they stop giving milk after a year!" She objected, holding her hand on Jack's wrist to stop him from dropping the gold coins into Van's sweaty mitts.

"That's okay! I don't want them for milk, I just want a pet." He explained and Lumina smiled taking her hand away.

"Alright then, what are you going to name her?" She asked curiously, remembering Beethoven.

"I was thinking you could name her,"

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "Could we name her Beethoven after my last goat?"

"But Beethoven's a guys name..." He said slowly, but he chuckled anyway. "Why not? It's original!"

Lumina beamed at him and watched as Jack paid Van. Jack then told her he had farm work to attend to and hurried off. Lumina sighed dreamily as she watched him go, her hands clutched together.

"I think I love him..." She told Van softly, tearing her eyes away from Jack and turning to the far less preferable sight of Van. His mouth began to open and close over and over again, making him resemble a fish.

"Oh, he must be the one who bought the blue feather then!" Van exclaimed before clapping a fat hand against his large mouth.

"Jack's going to propose?" Lumina squeaked, her eyes widening to the size of tennis balls.

"Well it must have been him..." Van said scratching his chin with his hand. "Or was it someone else...? I can't remember."

Lumina hadn't heard anything since Van had mentioned the blue feather. She began to hyperventilate, her heart hammering and her chest heaving.

"B-but he can't propose! We haven't been together long enough!" She protested and Van shrugged.

"Well then you can tell him that... might break his heart... but..."

"Well I can't do that..." she mumbled before beginning to walk off without a backward glance at Van. "...I need to think."

Lumina began to walk up and down the path leading from Mineral town all the way down to the edge of the Valley, opposite the mansion. Her entire body was numb from the revelation that Jack intended to propose, what would she say?

"I can't say yes..." She murmured, closing her eyes with anguish.

"Excuse me," a voice said. Lumina opened her eyes in surprise and looked down at the source of the voice. There she saw a prehistoric man, or perhaps just a vagrant that looked like a caveman.

"Murray?" She questioned after recognising him. She didn't often look at him she had to admit, and suddenly she felt guilty that she'd never paid him attention. He had often begged her for money but she had turned her nose up and walked on. Romana had always advised her to ignore him. When Lumina had tried to speak with the poor man Romana had scolded her, it was not proper for a young lady to converse with a pauper.

"Could you spare some money...? I want to go home to Popo Valley." He explained, a deeply longing look printed on his filthy face. Lumina looked at him sorrowfully, somehow seeing a reflection of her own situation only a week or so before.

"I'm sorry... I wish I could... but I don't have any. Didn't my grandmother leave you any in her will?"

Murray shook his head sadly. "She thought I was too poor." He said simply. Lumina pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. Oh the irony, her grandmother had believed the poorest man in the valley to be too poor for money that he greatly needed. She then perched down next to the vagrant.

"How far away is Popo Valley?" She asked curiously.

"Long away."

"What's it like there?" She was keen to know about his home, she understood why he would want to return. She really wanted to help him, but she hadn't any money.

"Pretty, there are mountains, trees, caves, clear rivers." He told her, his eyes glazing over. She smiled, that sounded like Murray's perfect place, prehistoric, yet beautiful.

"Would the boat there be expensive?" She inquired and he nodded the affirmative. She sighed and then her face lightened up.

"Meet me by Turtle Swamp at 9, when it's dark. I'll see what I can do." She said nothing more than this before turning and running to the inn. Murray would have been curious as to what her plan was, but he had given up on hope years ago, since he'd found himself away from his precious Popo Valley.

* * *

"Remind me why I'm here." Rock said, stepping through the window that led into the mansion. 

"Because," Lumina began, placing her feet firmly on the plush carpet. "You love me and also we want to help the poor."

"I don't see why, Murray's an annoying little... OUCH!" After a slamming noise Rock shouted, he had slammed the window frame down on his hand while closing it.

"Shhh, we need to be quiet." She hushed him and found her way to the mantelpiece. She was glad to know that she could still navigate her way through the mansion by heart even after so long.

"Nice to know you care," Rock grumbled, reaching out to grab hold of her in the dark. Lumina found her way to the mantelpiece and found an old, but elaborate candle stick, she could feel the cold, crafted iron against her skin. She just prayed there was still a candle on top. She grabbed the matches and lit the small stub of candle left, breathing a sigh of relief when it was lit and the whole room was illuminated.

The dim candle light flooded through the room, throwing shadows against the walls and lighting the glowing cobwebs.

"No one's cleaned in here for a long time, Romana would be horrified." She stated, sighing at the mess.

"I think that's the least of our troubles. Why are we here anyway?" Rock asked, examining the rather spooky looking paintings and shuddering.

"Because I need to pick up something of value and sell it, Van's staying at the inn tonight, so I can sell it to him." Lumina explained.

"Okay I have two questions. One: isn't that technically stealing? and two: what do you need the money for?" He asked, his face looking pale and ghostly in the candlelight.

"Well this used to be my house, I should have inherited these things, therefore it's not stealing but what I rightfully deserve. It's to give to Murray, he wants to go home, and he deserves that."

"To get rid of him right?" Rock snorted and she frowned at him.

"No," she looked at him imploringly. "Because I know what it's like to need to go home."

He sighed and looked at his best friend and only love. "You're an angel."

She smiled, gazing at him for a second. Eventually she snapped out of her daze and continued the search for something valuable, Rock swallowed hard before following her.

Eventually they found a beautiful crystal vase, worth a very good price in the market and Lumina was almost sure Van would give her a good price. She was right; Van had bought the vase for a good sum of 5, 000 gold, more than enough for Murray to have a good life.

"Can't we keep some for ourselves?" Rock begged on their way to meet Murray.

"No, Murray needs this." She told him firmly.

"Then can't we sell something else?"

"No, I don't feel good about stealing. I just hope whoever lives there won't notice the missing vase..." She said worriedly, in truth she still felt guilty.

"Fine," Rock sighed, folding his arms to his chest like a spoilt child. They greeted Murray with a smile and Lumina handed him the money, watching his entire face light up.

"Thank you... you are v-very kind." He told her and she beamed. She felt so happy to have done a good deed; she loved to feel like a good person. That was why she liked to help people, to feel like she was such a great person... _"Is that a little selfish?" _She questioned herself. But she decided it wasn't, after all there is no unselfish good deed.

"It's no big deal, have a great life Murray. Will you say goodbye to everyone tomorrow?" She asked. But Murray shook his head.

"No, you are my only friends here. I will leave tonight." He told them, glancing back at Mineral town.

"See ya dude." Rock said amiably with a wave. Murray nodded and hugged Lumina for a brief second, before he turned to walk away.

"Wait... I want to ask, why did you leave Popo valley?" She pried, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Because I thought my family didn't love me, and decided that home wasn't home. But I realised, it was home." He told her, not bothering to explain fully. But Lumina didn't need him to, she knew he had gone through the same thing as her. He had realised that he wanted perfection and that wasn't what family was. Family is imperfect people that love each other for both their good traits and imperfections.

"Yeah... I get that. Good luck Murray, goodbye." She said, watching as he scurried away into the night.

"Why do I feel like I don't understand something?" Rock asked after he'd watched the mutual understanding between his friend and the caveman. Lumina simply laughed, leaving Rock as confused as ever.

* * *

"...So Van said Jack bought me a blue feather." Lumina finished, after telling Rock the entire story. 

"So... you love him?" Rock asked, his heart feeling close to snapping point. Lumina bit her lip and sighed.

"I guess... I don't know. But I'm not ready to marry him, what do I do?" She begged and Rock looked to the ground. He hated it when Lumina talked about her relationship with Jack with him. It really cut him, but he couldn't tell her. He wished he could but he hadn't the courage.

"Do...? I don't know Lumina, why don't you just marry him?" He demanded, a hint of hurt in his voice. Lumina frowned and looked at him strangely.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked her voice wavering. Rock wanted to snap back, ask her how she could go on about her relationship with Jack when he loved her. But she couldn't help it, she didn't know.

"Nothing... it's... just something I have to deal with. Sorry I've gotta go." He said softly, walking away from her. Then he left, leaving her just as confused as before, if not more so.

* * *

**So we won't be seeing any more of Murray in this fic I'm afraid, then again he's hardly ever mentioned in fanfiction anyway, an opening in the market perhaps? Anyway, till next time...**


	16. Blue Feathers

Thanks all you guys for reviewing :) y'all make me smile:

**gothangel12345:** Yeah you do have to feel bad for Rock, I guess a lot of us go through that situation at least once in our life. Yeah I gave Murray a lot of money in the game and he still kept stealing, and never got to go home, so I wanted to finally send him home. I really wonder what Popo valley is like, possibly the land that time forgot, judging by Murray's appearance. Thank you, and the WUAC sounds like a fun idea ;) Who'd wanna be normal when you can be a weirdo, eh?

**YukiShinoya444: **Vanilla pudding is good, hard to decide which I prefer, maybe both? Go with your gut... it digests pudding, so it must be good ;) Thanks

**kelley28: **Hehe, thank you, and any pairings in this are gonna have a bumpy ride.

**Awesome Rapidash: **Haha, thanks, well maybe my chapters are a little long though. Man, a position similar to Rocks, that must have sucked, how did that work out? And I think I've been in a somewhat similar position too, so we all have sympathy for Rock.

**Chicken Yuki: **Yes Van does seem suspicious doesn't he? Who's your prime suspect then? Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see who the blue feather is for, Van's such a stirrer ;) Thanks a lot for the advice, then I guess I may not please the fans a whole lot, but you're right.

**Vook: **Haha, really, does it seem like I'm in the dark as to where this is going? Honestly I do know, and yes I do have tricks and such, but I do admit to improvising some things. But I do know who the murderer is.

**hmgirly12:** Ouch, another Rock situation, seems to be contagious. Yeah I have to admit Rock is a little annoying in the game, but I hope my Rock is a little better. Thank you very much and I hope your Rock situation sorts itself out.

* * *

It was an early autumn morning, the wind let out a yawn that blew the crisp leaves throughout the air, spinning and weaving and playing games together until at last they fell, still on the ground. Lumina was perched on a small log near her grandmothers grave, watching the antics of nature with some vacant interest. Her mind was not truly on the soaring leaves but on the farmer who was currently tending to his animals. Was he really going to propose? If he was he had done a grand job keeping it from her, he hadn't acted any differently towards her.

She sighed and eventually stood, debating whether to continue to another place or to perhaps visit Jack. She decided on neither and fell to her stoop once again, watching the world around her play as she pondered.

* * *

Jack ran his small wooden brush slowly through his cow's silky hair, patting the smooth fur with his dirty hands. His mind was not really all there, in fact they were with the young lady he had come to know so well. She had been acting so strangely lately, when she thought he wasn't looking she would stare at him with confusion. It was not only her strange behaviour that perplexed him, it was also his own feelings. He had no idea what he felt for Lumina anymore, he knew his feelings were strong but was it love? 

"I don't know Bessie, maybe all you women are strange." Jack told the bovine, which earned him an indignant moo.

"It's good to talk to animals. They always listen and never put you down." Takakura pointed out, walking into the barn. It was obvious that he had heard Jack and he made no effort to hide it. Takakura had a stern look upon his face, which was normal for him as he never seemed to smile or anything.

"Yeah, they're great." Jack agreed. Takakura nodded and Jack was sure he could see a twitch of his tight jaw, perhaps the shadow of a smile.

"However, animals don't tend to offer advice or ask questions. But if you want a conversation I'm here." He offered. Jack almost laughed, talking with Takakura was not so much a conversation as a wild life documentary. Takakura never spoke about the affairs of the valley, instead he would offer advice about animals, which in truth Jack found terribly dull but admittedly helpful.

"I guess we could talk." Jack said with a shrug, his brown eyes surveying Takakura.

"So how are you and Miss Lumina? I suppose you were talking about her?"

"Uh... yeah. I dunno, I really like her, but I don't know if I love her." Jack said, opening up a little which, if he was honest, felt good.

"I wouldn't get too close." Takakura warned. A frown appeared on Jack's face as he decided Takakura wasn't the man to talk to.

"Why not?" Jack asked, his chestnut eyebrows knitting together in puzzlement.

"It's just not wise, you're gonna get your heart broken," he said. Jack saw the hint of pain on Takakura's face and remembered the picture of the woman on Takakura's bedside table.

"The woman from the picture..." Jack whispered and Takakura nodded.

"I loved the woman, but she broke my heart when she told me she would wed a rich man, I was too poor for her. I was just a farmer, Lumina will be the same. She may not have much now but she was born a girl of money, she'll _die _a girl of money. She won't want a farmer like you." Jack swallowed hard, Takakura had just spoken every fear in Jack's mind aloud.

"She... she wouldn't do that," he protested weakly, but deep inside he wondered if it were true. If it were, would he become a bitter old man like Takakura?

"You never know till she does it, now I loved your father. He was like a brother to me and I was glad to see him with a good woman, your mother. She had poor backgrounds, but she was good." He told Jack with a small smile at remembering the elder Jack, now deceased. "You should find a woman like that."

Jack nodded, feeling a small twinge in his heart. He couldn't love Lumina, not if she'd break his heart. As though on cue Lumina bounded up towards Jack, a wide grin on her face.

"Hey Jack," she smiled before turning to Takakura and greeting him politely. Takakura returned the greeting before turning to finish his work. Lumina leaned up to kiss Jack but he turned his head.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly, with an expression of confusion upon her smooth features. Jack looked at her, feeling pain at seeing her sad, he wanted to comfort her already.

"I... I'm just having an off day." He said lamely and she shrugged.

"Hmm... okay then. I was gonna ask if you wanted to talk about "us" with me, but maybe when you're feeling better." She suggested and Jack nodded. Lumina sighed and turned to walk away, taking a step forward, before she spotted a flash of gold. Suddenly Muffy came bounding up, but her foot got caught on something on the step before Lumina. She fell to the ground, twisting her ankle and crying out.

"Gosh Muffy, are you okay?" Lumina asked kneeling down. She could hear laughing and she turned to see Hugh holding a piece of string.

"Gotcha!" he giggled before dashing away.

"Stupid kid!" Lumina yelled before turning to help Muffy. "Ugh, what a stupid prank."

"Lu... I think it was meant for you." Jack pointed out and Lumina looked down, realising that one more step forward and she would have tripped.

"That's dangerous," she said shaking her head. "Let's get you back to the inn Muffy, Jack and I will support you there."

So they held Muffy up, her arms draped over both of their shoulders as they led her, limping to Blue bar. Griffin knew exactly what to do, placing ice over her foot before wrapping it up.

"I think I'll have a word with Hugh," he said, looking down at Muffy protectively.

"Yeah, I wonder why he was trying to trip me up?" She said thoughtfully.

"He's just a kid, it was a practical joke." Jack told her and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah I guess, I'm just sorry he got you instead Muffy. I apologise."

"It's not your fault Lu," Muffy said with a small smile. "It doesn't matter, I'll be fine. It's not like I died cos of you." They laughed slightly before saying their goodbye's and walking back to the farm.

* * *

"Celia, since the moment I met you I loved you and now..." 

"What is it Marlin?" Celia asked, a perplexed look upon her delicate face.

"I um..." Marlin swallowed hard, running a hand through his dark hair. He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a shimmering blue feather. "Will you marry me?"

The shocked look on Celia's face turned to one of complete joy as she threw her arms around Marlin's neck, kissing him deeply. She took the long, shiny azure feather and examined it with a look of awe on her face.

"Oh Marlin of course I will, it's beautiful."

Marlin smiled proudly, watching as his fiancée twiddled the feather with a small fingers. "I love you."

"I love you too..."

* * *

Lumina sat at the bar, her head in her hands as she drank yet another moon trip. Today had been such a strange day, she had wanted to speak to Jack all day about the possible proposition, but he had seemed so distant. 

"I just don't get it," she told Muffy, who was sitting next to her at the bar rather than standing, after all her ankle still hurt.

"That's odd, are you sure he's gonna propose?"

"No but... I want to know how he feels anyway." She said softly, her eyes filled with wonder. "Then maybe I could figure out how I feel," she added.

"Sounds like you're both confused." Muffy told her, taking a sip from her cherry pink. Lumina nodded, placing a hand to her aching head.

The door swung open loudly and at the door appeared a grinning Celia.

"Guess what!" She exclaimed, ruining the suspense by holding up a blue feather. Even with such a good clue Lumina wanted to play the fool.

"The rodeo is coming to town and they say you can have the first ride of the bull?" She said dumbly and Celia shook her head, but still continued to smile.

"You're getting married." Muffy stated with a smile and Celia nodded quickly, running over and encasing them both in a hug, meanwhile squealing like a mouse on helium.

Suddenly Lumina realised something. "Oh god, Marlin bought the blue feather, not Jack." She felt her heart sink slightly at the thought that he wasn't really going to propose. All of a sudden she had her answer to how she felt about Jack, she loved him.

"Congratulations Celia, I'd love to celebrate with you but I've gotta go. I've just realised something important." Lumina explained before hurrying down the path through the dark. Her heart was pounding as she ran, the cool air slapping her lungs repeatedly.

She reached the farm and saw the lights were on in Jack's house. She hammered on the door and soon he opened it, dressed only in a pair of boxers.

"What Lumina?" He asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes. She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him passionately and pulling him towards her.

"What's this about?" He asked breathlessly once he had finally pulled away. She grinned, looking into his warm, chocolate coloured eyes, her own shining.

"I love you." She said shortly, pulling him into another kiss without waiting for his reply.

"You do? When did you work that out?" He asked cocking his head. She grinned, bouncing on her tiptoes, desperate to reveal all.

"Van told me you were going to propose to me but Marlin just proposed to Celia and I realised that when he told me you were going to propose he was wrong because it was really Marlin." She said quickly without even taking a breath. Jack looked at her without comprehension.

"Wait, take a breath, slow down and tell me again." He said slowly and she nodded and followed his orders.

"I spoke to Van after you left the other day and I told him I thought I might love you. He told me that you must have been the one who ordered a blue feather from him, so I thought you were going to propose. But now Marlin proposed to Celia... do you see where I'm going with this?" She asked. Jack nodded and then began to pace.

"You love me?" He asked.

"I love you," she promised, giving him a look of devotion. He bit his lip and swallowed.

"Thank you?" He said slowly, he didn't know what to say. Lumina's jaw dropped and her eyes began to shine with tears.

"Oh god," she said softly the tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks. "I know that I love you, but I never thought that you might not love me back. Then I just came here and blurted it out... I'm so stupid."

"No you're not... you're..." He began but Lumina shook her head.

"Don't... just don't." She said, turning and walking out of the door, leaving Jack in shock.

* * *

Rock sat at the bar with Muffy, downing another Stone Oil as she spoke of the pain in her ankle. They were both getting rather tipsy at this point, their inhibitions shutting down. 

"God, I'm all alone!" Muffy blurted out and Rock nodded.

"Me too,"

"I'm gonna die alone!"

"Me too,"

"I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"Me too,"

Thankfully neither was sick and instead they traded their glasses of alcohol for a nice glass of water.

"Neither of us should be alone," Muffy said, turning her emerald gaze on Rock who seemed oblivious. She leaned up close to him, so he could smell the alcohol on her breath and he could taste it as she brushed her lips against his. Almost immediately he pushed her gently off shaking his head.

"Why not?" she asked, hurt and puzzlement in her voice.

"Because I'm in love with Lumina," he explained. Muffy gasped and frowned.

"Oh that explains a lot. Oh... and she's with Jack." She said empathetically. Rock nodded and sighed, standing up off his stool.

"Sorry for everything Muffy, I'm gonna go home now." He told her before swaggering out of the door. She wanted to be upset with him for not returning her feelings, but she couldn't be. She knew that Rock had it worse off than her as she wasn't in love with him and now that she thought about it, Rock was obviously in love with Lumina, who was in love with Jack… her head hurt.

Just at the right time Lumina ran in, bawling her eyes out.

"Oh god Muffy, I told Jack I loved him and he said thank you. _Thank you_!" She cried and Muffy received her into her arms.

"Oh..." Muffy replied. It was all she could say, after she knew the entire situation.

"What should I do? You always seem to know..." Lumina said hopefully.

"I... I don't know." For once Muffy was stumped. Had she not just heard Rock's revelation she would have told Lumina just to wait and Jack would realise he felt the same way eventually. But now she knew that Rock loved Lumina she could not in good conscience tell her to wait for Jack to return her love, she wanted to help Rock. But she also had her own interest in the situation, she had liked Rock and if he fell out of love with Lumina she could swoop in. All in all she was very confused.

"But... I need to know." Lumina pleaded, bringing Muffy back from her thoughts. She held the younger girl in her arms, cradling her small frame, she was so skinny. Muffy felt very motherly at that moment, she was in a mother's situation. Like the situation when a daughter bawls her eyes out to her mother over a guy she's lost and that she can't live without and the mother wants to tell her that there are plenty of other men out there. She wants to tell her the truth to comfort her but knows it's not what her daughter wants to hear.

Muffy wanted to tell Lumina to forget about Jack, that she had someone who loved her already and that she should give him a chance. But she knew that was not what Lumina wanted to hear.

"It'll be alright, I promise." Muffy told her eventually, stroking her smooth chestnut hair. Lumina cried silently and Muffy just held her, knowing that was what she needed.

* * *

Later Lumina walked home and crawled into her bed to cry herself to sleep. She cried for what seemed like hours, unable to sleep as she choked on her tears. Eventually she heard a soft knock on the door. 

"Lu... Lu what's wrong?" Rock asked, he had been woken up by her cries and had come to comfort her. Lumina looked at him through red, swollen eyes.

"I told Jack I love him and he... he didn't know whether he did or not." She told him, shifting along in the bed as Rock lay down next to her, cradling her in his arms.

"Jack's an idiot." He said bluntly, stroking her back comfortingly.

"Or maybe I'm the idiot. I gave him my heart and he stabbed a knife through it. You don't know what it's like to love someone so much and not to have them return it." She cried.

"_If only you knew..."_ Rock thought bitterly.

"I told him I loved him... and he didn't say he loved me. It's just too painful." She sniffed, the burning tears still running down her delicate cheeks like hot lava.

"_Which is why I'm not telling you I love you,"_ Rock thought. It was so painful to hold her in his arms, to be so close and yet not to have her.

"Love stinks, I don't want to fall in love again." She whispered, her voice going hoarse from all the crying. She turned to look at Rock, her red eyes wide and pleading. "Don't let me fall in love again Rock."

"That's not true," Rock protested. He knew his love for her was painful, but he would never give it up, it was what kept him going through the day. His love for her gave him the will to get up in the morning, even if it would never be returned. "It may be painful Lumina, but it's better to feel pain than nothing at all. Don't build a wall around your heart, because your love, it makes you stronger even if it is painful."

"Hmm." She said softly, before yawning and snuggling against him.

"God Lumina, I've gotta tell you now. I love you." He told her, but he got no response. He could feel her breathing steadily against him and he smiled, she was fast asleep.

"I love you Lumina." He said softly, kissing the top of her head and snuggling into bed with her.


	17. Blizzards, Beginnings and Endings

Hey guys, sorry about it being a while since I updated, I've had exams... eek.

Thanks to y'all for reviewing :)

**YukiShinoya444:** Yeah you were right, very well done :) Yeah, you're right, you can't give up on love and it's better to love than to become bitter like Tak. Jack's got to realise his feelings for Lumina and they've got some stuff to work through, but it's all fixable. I think they should have a pudding festival in Harvest Moon :P

**gothangel12345: **Yeah Lumina has a lot else to come and thanks, I think Muffy can be quite a fun character to write and Tak's... interesting. Well I've made Rock grow up a lot in the story and I can promise a lot more growth too, but in the game, I can't say I see much hope for him :( Woo thanks for signing me up, WUAC _rocks _;)

**Chicken Yuki: **I can tell you that this isn't the end for Jack and Lumina, and yes a stupid woman moment, wrapped up in emotions and what not. Well Rock's situation isn't exactly the best one, and what he does isn't exactly fair on Jack or Lumina, but I suppose he's in a difficult, sad situation and he's only human (and fictional). I am building up to the murder, and I promise the murderer will be discovered and I am gonna be posting more clues, but I'm also afraid there is a lot of romance in this. But where would the fun be if I straightaway brought out the murderer? But I'm sorry if the romance stuff is too sickly :S I'll admit I have strayed a little... but I have a few more twists up my sleeve.

**Awesome Rapidash: **Thank you, yeah, the original idea is still there and the romances are supposed to be a part of the overall story. Well I'm glad you're not in the Rock situation anymore, it ended up okay, right?

**kelley28: **Do you mean in the game or in my story? I'm not sure, I suppose it could be possible in the game, but in my story Romana's a bit older than Tak. Nice theory though.

**NightimeRoseOX: **Yup you were right, Marlin and Celia are engaged. And yeah that does make sense, I think I'll be sad for the person Lumina doesn't end up with too, but he will have a happy ending. Thanks :)

**frozenmoogle: **Hehe, yes the murderer will be found out and in a _very _dramatic way, the murderer will also cause a few other problems. Anyway, thanks. glad you like the story :)

**hmgirly12:** Every review is appreciated :) thanks

* * *

Lumina pulled the thin coat she was wearing more tightly around her thin frame, the chilling winter air was still managing to creep over her skin and make her hairs stand on end. She shivered, Jack Frost was nipping and nibbling at her skin, the sharp little teeth burning at her face. She licked her dry lips and took a step forward. The ground was sprinkled with a thin layer of soft, white snow that glistened in the mild, early morning sunlight. All of the trees had lost their leaves and were now swaying with cold, as though moving would heat their cold bark long abandoned by their thick coat of leaves. They were like people standing in the cold, moving to keep themselves warm. 

Lumina began to pace, she had been waiting for Jack for over an hour, ever since he had asked Ruby to tell her to meet him at Romana's grave.

"Where is he?" she asked aloud, folding her arms over her chest in an effort to keep out the cold. She then began to rub her hands together, the friction feeding warmth into her hands. Finally Jack appeared, dressed in a thick jumper and other clothes that Lumina was sure were much warmer than hers.

"Sorry I'm late," he said sheepishly and she shrugged.

"What took you so long?" She demanded, his lateness had done nothing to lighten her mood. She hadn't spoken to him since she had told him she loved him and he had not returned the sentiment, she still didn't want to see him now.

"My chicken was sick," he said and at the worried look on her face he added, "it's better now."

"Well, what do you want?" She asked, looking up at him. Jack looked at the girl he still loved most in the world, whether he was in love with her or not he still wasn't sure. He had tried to figure out whether he loved her or not for such a long time now, but he still didn't know.

He had no news for the girl, yet he needed to see her just to be sure he wouldn't lose her. She still looked beautiful, even with winter's bite bruising her face, leaving her lips chapped and her face numb. The cold had left a deep, red blush upon her cheeks and turned her face particularly pale, adding to her youthful beauty.

"I need to talk to you... would you like to come back to the farm and have some cocoa?" He asked, he could tell she was cold, and if she was cold she was likely to be irritable. If she was irritable then he was not likely to leave the conversation alive.

Lumina agreed to return with him to the farm, although she wished to oppose him in any sense possible, her desire to be warm outweighed her desire to fight.

Back at the farm house Lumina snuggled up in a soft blanket Jack had given her and sipped at a mug of hot chocolate, which had a thick layer of marshmallow on top. She had to admit, it was hard to remain mad at Jack when she felt so cosy.

"So what did you want to talk about?" She asked casually, as though she had no idea.

Jack sighed, "You know."

"I do know, but I don't see why you want to talk, it seems simple to me. You either love me or you don't." She told him with a shrug, she knew it probably wasn't that simple for him, but she knew it should be. "And if you love me, we can progress in our relationship."

"And if I don't?" He asked, wishing he hadn't as soon as he saw the hurt look on her face.

"And if you don't... I guess... we take a step back." She muttered, she wasn't exactly what a step back would be, possibly just friends.

Jack took a deep breath, he had been thinking for so long, wondering if he had such strong feeling for Lumina as love. But now, looking at her it became clear.

"I love you," he told her, looking searchingly into her earthy eyes. She frowned and returned the searching look.

"Don't say it if you don't mean it," she warned, she knew that would hurt too much.

"I mean it, I wouldn't say it if I didn't. I love you Lumina." She grinned and pulled him into a deep kiss which he returned with a passion. He ran his hands down her sides and she tingled with the sensation. They parted only to breath as Jack slowly eased off Lumina's white shirt, stroking the smooth skin there.

"Are you ready for this?" He gasped and she nodded before crushing her lips against his again, slowing tumbling deeper into passion.

* * *

When Lumina finally opened her eyes she found herself warm and comfortable, with Jack strong arms wrapped around her in a gently embrace. She could feel his light breathing and the steady undulating of his chest as he slept. She smiled and kissed his cheek gently before slipping out of bed and putting on her clothes. She then reached for the remote and turned on the TV. A stuffy announcer dressed in a black suit was reading out the weather on a channel called "Island news". 

"News to everyone, a blizzard has hit the entirety of Mineral Island and everywhere is covered with around 6 feet of snow. Workers will have a free day ahead of them and it is advised that people don't travel too far in this weather."

"In other news the man who married a chicken, how does Rick feel about his new change in lifestyle?" The announcer said, turning to a bespectacled ginger haired kid.

"Well Bob, I feel it is a valid lifestyle change, I love my husband and..."

Lumina switched off the T.V shaking her head, what a ridiculous story. She glanced over at Jack's sleeping form, he looked so peaceful. She made her way over to the window and with a shocked gasp realised that the snow was about level with the window.

"Looks like I'll be spending the day here," she muttered, it wasn't a bad thought, she had just hoped she'd be able to sneak back into the inn. But she supposed people finding out wouldn't be such a bad thing, except she wondered if she'd be frowned upon. After all she knew for a fact Celia would be saving herself for marriage, but as for Muffy she had no idea.

"Morning honey," Jack muttered from behind her and she smiled.

"Morning sleepy head," she giggled, walking over to be pulled into his arms and the warmth of the sheets. "Did you see all the snow?"

"No... How much snow we talking?"

"Let's put it this way, we'd have to dig ourselves out to escape." She informed him with a hint of seriousness in her voice. Jack reluctantly climbed out of bed and looked out of the window.

"Do you think my animals will forgive me?" He asked hopefully and Lumina bit her lip. He sighed and then shook off the look of worry with a shrug.

"Well anyway, we can have a fun day!" She exclaimed. "What do you have to do here anyway?"

"Nothing." Jack said honestly and her eyes widened.

She sighed; "right, you grab a shovel."

* * *

"Where's Lumina?" Rock asked, he was sitting at the inn kitchen table sipping a mug of Ruby's herbal tea, guaranteed to warm your entire body from your head to your toes. Unfortunately no one was present in the room to answer Rock's question, so it became rhetorical. 

He slid down from the table and walked across the bamboo mats to gaze longingly out of the window. A thick layer of snow obstructed his view of the outside world, apparently he wouldn't be leaving for a while.

"And Lumina's at Jack's!" He banged his fist against the wall with frustration, this was doomed to be a long day.

* * *

Lumina's glance shifted to the clock on Jack's wall, she had been sitting in the same position and watching the farming channel for over an hour now. Time seemed to be sitting in the same position too, the hand of the clock seemed to tick once forward and then twice back. She let out a deep sigh and her eyes flickered back to the TV, they were discussing whether grass in the spring or grass in the summer was best for fodder. As Lumina watched really, really bad TV Jack was digging through the snow and making very little progress as every half hour or so he would return to the house for a break. 

"How are ya doing Jack?" Lumina yelled and Jack bobbed back into the house.

"At this rate it'll take me till spring." He admitted grimly before returning to his desperate shovelling. She rubbed her hands together shivering, the house was about as cold as it was outside.

"Jack, could you put a fire on... please?" She begged, she was already wrapped in her thick woollen coat made from Jack's sheep wool.

Jack returned again and shook his head. "Sorry no can do, no wood."

Lumina frowned, suddenly missing the inn intensely. "Right well... can I have a bath then?"

"Go ahead, do you want me to run it for you?" He asked sweetly and she grinned. _"What a great boyfriend," _she thought.

"No, that's okay... but thanks." She leant over and kissed him on the cheek which felt like ice compared to her warm lips.

Lumina ran the bath and watched thoughtfully as the steaming, clear water rushed into the sparkling, white tub. She tested the temperature, which was perfect, enough to warm her but not too hot that she felt like a cooking lobster. She dipped in and leant back, letting out a deep sigh of pleasure. _"Now this is the life!" _She thought happily.

* * *

By late evening Jack had finally tunnelled through to the other side, and after feeding the animals he returned to the house – too tired to be much in the way of company. 

"Well thanks for the stay Jack, it's been... nice." Lumina lied. She had in reality been bored out of her skull, there had only been one shovel so she couldn't dig and Jack hadn't been much company while he was digging. "But I think I'm gonna see if I can get into the inn, if that's okay."

Jack was too tired by that point to even care a little, so he just let her go with a quick kiss on the lips.

Lumina walked through the dark, cold evening, she felt like she was in a winter wonderland. It was like the North Pole in the valley, it was freezing and perhaps even deadly cold. Luckily Rock had spent the entire day digging and Lumina was able to just walk through the front door. However she was greeted coldly by Rock, colder perhaps than the outside weather. No matter how many times she tried to talk to him he refused to speak, but she had no idea why. However Ruby and Tim greeted her warmly and she had explained that she had "fallen asleep" at Jack's and been unable to return in the morning. If they saw through her lie they didn't show it and simply made her dinner and hot chocolate before ordering her to bed, lest she catch cold.

"Why aren't you talking to me Rock?" She asked when she snuggled into bed next to him. Tim had only lit a fire in Rock's room and their room so they had been made to share.

"Explaining would involve me talking to you," he pointed out.

"You just spoke."

"Damn."

"Rock," she encouraged looking at his eyes with a face that showed seriousness and yet a willingness to understand.

"Fine, why were you at Jack's all night... did you... uh...?" He asked, he needn't have said more. Lumina didn't even answer; the deep blush on her face was word enough. Rock felt his heart sink and his stomach felt like someone had dropped a snowball to the very bottom. Lumina saw his face fall and looked at him enquiringly.

"Why are you mad at me for that?" She asked softly, without any condemnation.

"Because," Rock opened his mouth to speak but closed it quickly. This was his perfect opportunity to tell her, but now that she and Jack were so close he couldn't. "Because, I just thought you'd tell me before."

Lumina cocked her head and frowned. She didn't really see why he had to know everything about her life, but she would rather not quarrel with him. "From now on I'll tell you everything." She promised, but without removing the frown.

Rock paused, there were things he'd rather not know, but he nodded anyway. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Lumina said, the frown still in place, they both rolled over, lying on the very edge of the bed. There was a great distance between them, more than there had ever been before.

* * *

The next day Lumina was walking by turtle swamp, which was now frozen but the mud around it had become congealed and squishy. On the ground now grew sweet smelling, Amorous flowers, the flowers that made perfume. There bright yellow petals replaced the sun in Forget-Me-Not Valley, which experienced an extremely cold winter climate due to its geographical placement. As it was a valley it suffered intense cold, since it allowed no sunlight to penetrate and warm the frozen ground. 

Lumina shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat and took more arduous steps forward, she had no reason to walk, she was simply moving to keep out the cold. She could see Cody making a picture in the snow and she walked over to him.

"Why are you drawing in the snow?" She asked, looking at the picture he had drawn. For a snow drawing it was rather good, he had taken different coloured snows and used it to create a beautiful winter scene out of the delicate whites, yellows, browns and greys.

"Because I wish to create."

"But it'll just melt." She noted and Cody nodded.

"Yes, but the artist produces for the liberation of his soul. It is his nature to create as it is the nature of water to run down hill." He told her, leading her to smile. Cody was such a deep person.

"That's pretty," she said and he nodded before returning to his work. He became transfixed and Lumina knew it was not her place to interrupt. So she continued on her stroll. As she walked towards the pyrotechnicians' house and was in line with Cody's home so she was in such a position that she could see him but he could only spy her out of the corner of his eye. She saw Vesta walk towards Cody and with the winter silence she could hear every word. Curiosity had caused her to stop but intrigue lead her to stay and find a suitable hiding place.

"Good morning," Vesta greeted Cody who nodded at her presence. Lumina was a few metres away but even from there she could spot the deep rouge appearing on Vesta's face.

"I bought you some potatoes from our last harvest, I thought since it was winter you'd be needing nourishment." She said, handing him a basket of potatoes and giving him a hearty pat on the back, her large size causing him to be thrown forward by the force.

"Thank you, I appreciate your kindness." He said without changing the tone of his voice or his facial expression. Vesta blushed yet redder and Lumina couldn't help but giggle, so that was her crush.

"It's nothing, any time! I'll bring more whenever and you can come and visit for a meal, any time you like! Just come round!" Vesta said enthusiastically.

"That sounds lovely." He said, without even half the enthusiasm. Still Vesta beamed before waving goodbye and strolling off. Lumina fought the temptation to go after her or speak to Cody, but that might show that she had been spying and she knew it was wrong to spy. So instead she continued on her journey up the hill.

* * *

Galen placed another log on the fire and prodded it gazing into the crackling flames so full of life. He turned to his wife who was watching the fire as intently as him; he knew they were soul mates. It was not just some romantic, hopeful idea that flitted across a teenager's head; he knew this was the truth. When he looked at her, even after all these years he could still feel their souls combine and that they would be together past death. Even after all of the years, some that had been hard and some less so, he could still see the beautiful young woman he had married. 

"Shall I put another log on the fire?" He asked, glancing at the woman he loved and holding up a log as though to tempt her.

Nina smiled, "A simple log doesn't matter my darling." Simple words, yet Galen could tell they had so much meaning.

"What is it?" He asked seriously, Nina was wise beyond her years, long though they were, in her mind she could have been around forever. Although her years only bordered on seventy she had a mind greater than any hundred year old.

Nina smiled, creases forming in her face. One of the things that had never changed was her smile, the smile that was imprinted in Galen's mind like a screen saver.

"I have some business to attend to, my dear," she told him and Galen looked intrigued.

"Business?"

"Yes my dear, I still have business. An old ladies work is never done." She chuckled before looking serious again. "Could you bring Rock here for me, I would go myself but because of the cold my back ails me so."

"Of course dear, may I ask what this meeting is about?" He questioned her, and she seemed to ponder over it.

"_That _is up to him. Please bring him though, won't you? He will know what it is about."

Galen complied and headed out into the cold to find the youth.

When he returned Rock had filled him in on everything, without much convincing, the boy had wanted to speak. The old couple and Rock sat by the fire and Nina faced him, her face soft.

"You haven't told her, Rock." She stated and he nodded.

"I can't now, they've... they've..." He began and Nina nodded, as though this wasn't news to her. Sometimes Rock wondered if she had the power of future sight, she seemed so calm and prepared for everything.

"Yes, but I believe you and she are meant to be." She told him wisely. Galen smiled proudly at his wife, if she said it then it was true. She seemed to have the power to detect soul mates.

"She loves him Nina... I'm not gonna ruin that. I'm not going to tell her." He said defiantly. Nina pursed her lips together, she had suspected he would say that.

"It... it is my wish to see you together before I die, but I don't think it will be so." She said softly. "But I don't think she can deal with what awaits her in the future if you are not together."

"Well never say never, I'm sure the two will be together before you die." Galen said with a nervous chuckle, he hated to speak of death. He feared it more than he feared anything, he always had, but Nina had never feared death. She had always been so accepting of her fate and spoke of it freely, she was the only thing that kept Galen from the fear. He used to fear growing old, but he hadn't since he had fallen in love with her, in fact he had dreamed of growing old with her.

Nina made no movement and said nothing and Rock frowned. "It doesn't seem like we'll ever be together."

"You need to tell her Rock, do it for me." She begged and Rock looked at her, there was something desperate about her tone.

"I will," he said, he couldn't deny Nina, not when she had asked him in such a way. She sighed with relief and Rock's face filled with determination.

* * *

Many days had passed since the meeting and now it was almost spring once again, Nina was lying in her bed and Galen sat beside her. Not long after the meeting she had been infected by a cold, Dr. Hardy had been in to tell them it wasn't serious but to get plenty of rest. 

"My time is almost up," Nina whispered to Galen and he looked at her in shock, tears appearing in his eyes.

"Don't say that, Dr. Hardy said it wasn't serious." He said in a tone that begged her to be quiet immediately.

"Dr. Hardy has his medical ways of knowing, but I have mine. It is my time to go." She told him. Galen shook his head, the tears still shining in his eyes.

"I'll call Dr. Hardy." He said, standing to get up but Nina shook her head and placed a wrinkled hand over his.

"He can't do anything we must accept this, my dear. It is my time and there is no going against it." She said calmly and Galen grasped her hand.

"Don't say that..."

"I don't fear death Galen, I've had a good life. I spent it with you." She smiled at him and he returned it. He didn't want to believe that she could die, that his soul mate could die, but he could see now the paling of her skin. She was never wrong and he could see visibly that she was right.

"How... how long?" He asked, his voice cracking.

"Not nearly long enough," she laughed. "Fetch a pen and paper won't you."

Galen found a thick sheet of paper and a black ink pen and sat next to her once again.

"Won't you take some notes for me?" She asked and Galen nodded.

"I wish for Rock to keep his promise, and I wish to tell Lumina to look at the lockets, it could help her discover who murdered her parents, all my old clothes are to go to the girls and all of my things spread evenly among them." She told him. "I wish my grave to be near Romana's... now Galen don't cry."

Galen sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes, he could see her deteriorating rapidly, her skin turning pale and her lips fading.

"I think that will do... there is much the people of this village must go through." She told him.

"Please... don't leave me," Galen cried, the shimmering tears running down his face quickly. Nina hushed him quickly and held his hand with what strength she had left.

"Now be brave, we've had good times Galen think of them. We'll meet again, I've always told you we would, so don't you fear death. But don't welcome it either, you must stay strong without me, I need you to help the people here." He nodded and she smiled.

"Now," she croaked with some difficulty. "Why don't you talk to me... tell me your fondest memory my love. I'll see you, my love. I love you so."

"I love you too, don't leave... don't... leave me. I can't..." He mumbled and she let out a sigh that he knew meant to speak of his memories rather than his fear.

"When you told me you loved me..."

"Go on."

"I knew I loved you from the day I met you..."

Nina was silent.

"I still love you,"

She remained silent.

"I'll always love you..."

Even her breathing had stopped and she grew cold.

"I... I'll see you... my love."

* * *

**Aww... I hate it everytime Nina dies :(**

**- Even if she is a meddling old woman ;)**


	18. Eulogies and Promises

Hey again guys, I'm finally on my summer holidays, so woot! Means I can maybe submit a little quicker :)

Thank you guys for reviewing, you're like the coolest, nicest people ever :)

**gothangel12345: **Aww, sorry, I hate that she dies, she's such a nice old lady. Yeah, the relationships are gonna get a little more messed up now... eep.

**Vook:** Lol, well it's not so much a case of me hating Rick. He's just an amusing character to make fun of, I'm not sure why... Maybe I should stop Rick-bashing :S Yeah... but is Rock any better for Lumina than Jack?

**YukiShinoya444:** Haha, if only Nina had eaten some pudding, maybe she wouldn't have died... :( Yeah, Nina's speech was a little confusing...

**NightimeRoseOX: **Yeah, the lockets aren't an immensely key part, but they do play a part in helping her discover who the murderer is, and what exactly happened to her parents fortune. Well Rock's got a promise to fulfill now, so you'll see how that works out.

**Awesome Rapidash: **Lumina's gonna have to decide between Jack and Rock soon. Thank you, writing in deaths can be hard, but I seem to end up writing in a lot of them :S hmm. Well I'm glad you like Rock, and I think the Rock lovers and Rock haters are about balanced, so some group will end up being disappointed :S

* * *

_Rest in peace,_ we only rest in peace once we accept death and once it accepts us. It is harder though for those around us to let go, to find their own peace with death, their acceptance of our death. There are stages of this and sometimes it may seem hopeless to our loved ones, as though they would rather accept their own death than accept ours. Some may accept their own death in order to avoid ours, even those who have been avoiding death their entire lives. 

Yet some find their place in the world held by the other ties that bind them, be they family, hobbies or merely an addiction to the beauty of life. Some never quite find their place in life without us, some are just too lost to find their way without us there to help guide them. Yet still there are others, perhaps the younger of the mourners that can find a space in their heart for another. They can then be at rest with loss, they don't shut us out of their hearts, or push us out to make room for another, instead their hearts grow to make space for another yet we remain. We will always be in their hearts, a place that we may remain forever even when life has no more room for us.

Death is not a tragedy, nor is it a dead end, it is simply a fork off of the road of life. Whether there is a heaven or a hell or we are reincarnated, or perhaps whether that is it, death is not something to be feared. Nor must we fear for our loved ones, for the reason we love them is that we know they are strong enough that they do not need us to survive, but their lives were enriched by us. They will mourn for us, they will spread our ashes or lay flowers on our graves. Perhaps they will speak to us and inform us of their new lives, but we are not jealous, we live on through them.

A few days after the last day Nina had seen there was a funeral. It seems to be customary for the weather to take part in this grim event so of course it was a miserable day. The wind threatened to tear the houses from their foundations with its strong presence and even for the first day of spring, it was bitterly cold. Galen has insisted on a spring funeral, even if it meant the haunting body of his wife lying next to him, a thought that chilled the people to the bone. But for Galen it was as natural as sleeping next to her alive, in fact, he could not have slept without her.

The sky was painted a dismal grey, the clouds gathering in front of the drowsy sun, eager to be present at the funeral. The entire valley seemed filled with an ashen veil that coated the ground, leaving the world as grey as an old tragic movie. A great blot of inky black was spread around the small hill by the stream, a mob of dark pilgrims come to witness the burial of a saint. Each garbed their raven clothes that contributed to the black and white impression of the valley, untouched by colour.

Lumina stood among them, her hands forced into the itchy pockets of a long, unflattering and overly loose black dress that she had been forced to borrow from Ruby. Her head was bowed and a deep shadow spread across her face, giving her the look of death. She stood next to Jack, who seemed to stare at the entire gathering as though it were merely a sad film, as though he had no empathy with the deceased. Lumina supposed that he hadn't known her so well, which would have made his attitude forgivable for any other person, but not for Nina. Anyone who had spoken to Nina could see that she was an angel and now she had finally reached the heaven she deserved. Yet the unfeeling look on Jack's face she could not comprehend, she decided he was merely numb.

She turned her glance to Galen, who was standing next to a coffin, like an old dog might sit next to his master. His face was no longer streamed with tears but she knew it was not because he hadn't cried; it was because he could cry no more. She wanted to offer her condolences, but somehow now didn't seem like the time, maybe if she spoke to him that would make the whole thing more real. She switched her gaze over to Rock, who stood devotedly next to Ruby and Tim, the former was crying into the latter's arms. But the looks carved onto his soft features were not only of hopelessness, but of conflict as though a mental dilemma was going on in his head.

"Jack..." Lumina looked at him and he faced her, not a single change in his dull features. "I..." She shut her mouth, he seemed like a statue, she couldn't talk to him like that. She turned and faced the deep hole that now lay open in the valley and that wouldn't be closed even after it was filled, the grave. Deep, dark and earthy, Nina's fate would be sealed there for as long as the earth remained. She could feel Jack's eyes upon her, but somehow she couldn't seem to look back.

"I'm gonna go and see how Ruby is," she told him, walking over to her surrogate mother, Rock offered her a small smile and she returned it. Ruby looked at her with red, swollen eyes, there sparkling life was lost and replaced with a deep sadness.

"Lu... Lumina, can I talk to you?" Rock asked. Normally Lumina would have replied with a quirky comment like "we are talking", but instead she nodded solemnly.

They walked slightly away from the mass, but still in view so if the ceremony commenced they would be there.

Lumina looked at Rock meaningfully and he took a deep breath. "I made a promise, I made a promise to an old angel and I intend to keep it."

"What...? What did you promise Nina?" Her face now held a look of concern, she looked so fragile in her pain.

"I... I..." He surveyed her with wide eyes, now was not the time to tell her. He knew there wouldn't be a good time, but any time had to be better than this. "I'll tell you later."

"Okay," she said unsurely before heading right back to the ceremony as though pulled there by a magnet.

Carter, the priest from Mineral town, arrived and the long, hard ceremony began. Tears were shed, shoulders were cried on and the hearts beneath the shoulders ached.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. We return our sister Nina's body to the earth, and her soul to the heavens, where she came from." Carter said dutifully, his words were well meant, but he didn't know her, his heart wasn't breaking as he said them. The glossy, ebony coffin was dropped into the cold earth and the hole was sealed with dirt, flowers and tears. Lumina was reminded instantly of Romana's funeral, and she glanced at the grave right next to Nina's fresh one. The two ladies would side by side and their spectres would watch the villagers together and smile. They would sit on the rooftops, overlooking the sea and talk about when they were alive, they would chat – just like they used to. And when the villagers cried, which of course they would, they would both comfort them and stroke their warm skin.

"Now, Galen is going to say some things about his dear, departed wife... Galen..." Carter gestured to the shaking old man, who seemed hollow now. He stood in front of her grave, looking down at the colourful flowers, the pinks and purples of spring.

"You... you were an angel and for so many years I was blessed by you, I always knew you were too good. I always knew whenever I touched you, that I was a sinner and I was touching a goddess. You were the closest to heaven that I'll ever be and now I've lost it forever. I... you told me I had to be strong, you told me I have to live." He looked up at the villagers. "We all do. We have to get through our lives without you... without our guide, our little piece of heaven. But we'll all talk to you and... we'll miss you." He collapsed on the grave and could say no more. Everyone was in tears and Lumina could not see through her misted eyes.

Eventually the crowd dispersed, some to try and work, but most to cry and talk about the times they had.

"You wanna come over to mine... we can talk... and maybe other stuff." Jack asked her with raised eyebrows and she looked at him with disgust. It was too soon to joke.

"I need... you can't help me right now." She told him, before turning away.

Lumina sat cradled in Rock's arms, they were both gazing out of the window at the deserted streets.

"This brings back everything Rock, everything about Romana." She told him and she felt him nod.

"I know,"

"But... I stopped trying to find her murdered, I stopped helping. We need to find them, I know we do." She said, breathing gently against him.

"Yeah and we will find whoever did it." He promised her. She turned around and looked into his chestnut eyes, he was such a good friend.

Suddenly she remembered about his promise to Nina, and asked about it. But he couldn't tell her yet, somehow everything was too sensitive and it would be for a while.

"I miss her."

"Me too,"

Days passed and the dismal veil of depression still hadn't left the valley. People glided around like ghosts, they were as dead as Nina, they didn't speak to each other. Galen had plans for moving out, to live in a small hut he was constructing next to Nina's grave. He had planned to give his house to Dr. Hardy, he didn't need money anymore. Over and over again he would read the inscription on Nina's grave, before he began building again:

"_If love could have saved her she never would have died." _

Everyone agreed it was beautiful and they all would feel a tug at their heart as they read it, love was the thing Nina had had most of in the world.

Lumina hadn't been able to speak to Jack since he had tried to "comfort" her, but she decided it was time to forgive him. She headed over to the farm and found Takakura; she waved to him sadly before walking over to knock on Jack's green door.

"He's not in, he's gone to Mineral town for a day off; he said he couldn't stand the suffering." Takakura told her, she turned and faced him with tears in her eyes.

"Oh god Tak! This brings back everything about Romana, I still haven't found the murderer!" She exclaimed sadly. "The only lead I got was to look at the locket from Nina! I have no idea what it means!"

In the reading of the last words of Nina she had been told this little piece of information – that didn't help her at all. She had examined her golden locket that she had been wearing since the day of her parents' death and she assumed that could have something to do with it. But as far as she knew it was just a locket that had belonged to her mother. Romana had always told her to take good care of it, but she thought it was simply for the reason that it was her mother's. Besides she couldn't open it, it had been sealed with something, she was at the point that she wanted to wrench it open.

"A locket, huh? Well that's not very clear," Takakura said with a serious expression. "But I think I may have a lead for you."

"You do?" She asked, her face brightening slightly.

"Yeah, why don't you look around the mansion for clues. I personally think Sebastian is suspicious."

"Sebastian?" She asked in surprise. She couldn't believe that, he had been so faithful and he had loved Romana – she knew he wouldn't do that. "No, it can't have been."

"I'm just saying it's suspicious his sudden leaving. But take a look around the mansion. Is that all?" He asked hands on hips, an obvious sign he wanted her to leave.

"Yeah," she said awkwardly," that's all."

She wouldn't believe that Sebastian could be the murderer, he'd been like a father to her as she was growing up. Yet she had no reason to distrust Takakura, he'd never been a liar, but perhaps his hunch was wrong. As it seemed Jack wouldn't be arriving home for a while she decided to go and see Galen, after all he needed her company most at the moment – even if he didn't want it.

She wandered up to the hill where both Nina and Romana were buried, the sun was just overhead which gave the graves short dark shadows but seemed to allow them to sparkle in the light. She glanced at the foundations of Galen hut, no more than the frame really and a wooden floor. She could see him sitting on the bench opposite the graves and staring at his wife's sadly, as though perhaps she would wake any moment.

"Galen..." Lumina said softly and his ears pricked as he whispered "Nina" in a questioning tone. He believed his wife was speaking to him.

"No Galen it's me... Lumina. I came... I came to see Nina." She told him, she did not want to appear worried about him. That would only hurt him more. He didn't reply, but sat in stony silence as though she hadn't spoken. But she understood his silence, it was like watching herself a year back. So instead of continuing to speak to him she sat by the grave opposite Nina.

"Hello Nina, we're all missing you terribly and I've been trying to work out your riddle, but I've had no luck so far. If you could maybe send me a sign... or something?" She asked the grave, of course there was silence. Galen seemed to be mildly aware of Lumina speaking to the grave, perhaps he even knew something.

"The locket right?" Galen said eventually and Lumina turned to him and nodded slowly. "I don't know anything about it, Nina... she knew things... things that others didn't."

"She was wise..." Lumina began, believing that she was praising Nina.

"She was an angel!" Galen shouted, making Lumina jump at his sharp tone. She nodded gently, she could understand Galen's suffering, he was completely lost.

"Yeah... yeah she was. We'll miss her..." She whispered, she could see from Galen's eyes that he couldn't be saved yet, he needed to be near his wife. She bowed her head and turned to walk away before turning to look at Galen once more.

"You know... she's not gone." Lumina told him, she wasn't sure whether or not this was true, but that was what had kept her going.

Rock sat against the wall of Nina's and Galen's old house, that would soon been Dr. Hardy's, the cold painted brick of the wall soothing his warm back. He had no idea what to do, he had made his promise to Nina and intended to keep it, but there hadn't yet been a right time. After all Lumina still had Jack and as far as he knew she loved him. What if she rejected him as a friend when he told her? It was a chance he had to take.

Up until now she had needed his friendship so much, she had needed his support but now she was stable. Now she had the love of a boyfriend and was getting over her grandmother's death, she didn't need him anymore. He wasn't sure if that made telling her harder or easier. It would make it easier for her to reject his friendship, which was a bad thing, but if she felt that she couldn't take being with him then he knew she'd be okay, which was good.

But what if she loved him too? Wouldn't that be a miracle? But it was not likely, he was certain she had never contemplated any feelings above friendship for him. He relaxed his head against the wall and faced the heavens, where Nina would be smiling down at him. If he tried hard enough he could see her face beaming down at him from one of the clouds, that gave him hope. He stood up, he had to find her.

Jack arrived home from Mineral town, exhausted from a days work and reluctant to return to the depressing atmosphere of the valley. Lumina still hadn't spoken to him, which he understood, she was dealing badly with Nina's death like the other villagers, but it hadn't had a big effect on him. Sure he was sad, but he wasn't distraught, he had barely known her. He couldn't bear to return to an empty farm that night, but nor could he summon Lumina, so he headed to the bar.

Muffy was sitting at the bar and drinking from a cherry pink, looking incredibly bored.

"Hey Muffy," he greeted her and her eyes lit up at the sign of a customer.

"Hey Jack! You come to drink away your sorrows like the others?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Not so much over Nina, more the sadness of everyone else," he admitted, the great thing about Muffy was that he felt he could be honest with her. She never seemed to judge anyone, so unlike Lumina who constantly judged, he supposed that was the difference between an inquiring mind and a content one.

"Yeah, it is getting depressing." She agreed, her large emerald eyes focussing on him intently. He could feel their warm glow upon him and his eyes met hers. She lowered her eyes and blushed, maybe she had had too much to drink but she could feel her heart pounding. She grinned at him, all the feelings of before coming back. Her feelings of warmth turned quickly into the submerging of her stomach, what about poor Lumina?

"Where's Lumina?" She asked and Jack caught her eyes in his own again, before he sighed and looked at the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and by instinct Muffy knew to make him a strong drink. She fetched him a stone oil and placed it in front of him, he then took a large swig.

"She got so upset with me over Nina's death, she doesn't think I care enough. I wish I did... but..." He sighed again, a loud and stressed sound.

"Oh..." Muffy said, the slow and rusty cogs working in her brain. This could work to both Rock's and her own advantage: if Rock could get Lumina to love him then Jack would be hers. She watched him as he sipped his drink before engaging him in a talk about the farm, which she didn't understand but was more than happy to hear him rant about.

Finally in the evening Rock found Lumina sitting by the clear pond in the small forest area. The water was so still that it looked like a light blue sheet of glass, as though you could run your hand across the smooth surface. The world around was silent and the large flowers with crystal heads glowed beautifully, creating a dimly lit atmosphere. Golden fireflies zipped through the air making light patterns in the sky with their romantic dances. He saw her face, lit by the flowers with the light shadows on her face she looked more radiant – as though she were glowing.

"Hey," he said softly and she looked at him, the beams of light hitting her eyes and making them sparkle like expensive diamonds set in her golden face. She smiled weakly and he sat next to her, first in silence.

"I told you about a promise," he said, and she gazed at him intently. He took a deep breath, he had run the lines over in his head a billion times, but now that seemed to be seeping out like water through the cracks of a poorly constructed vase. It was time for his brain to hand the control of his mouth to his heart.

"Yes, your promise to Nina..."

"Yes, see... I... Oh god Lumina this is... please don't hate me." His eyes were pleading with her and she nodded, worried by whatever was making Rock so flustered.

"I could never hate you, Rock." She promised, her eyes so wide, innocent and perfectly trusting that he was calmed.

"I love you Lumina, not just as a friend. I've loved you for so long, so much, ever since you cried in my arms over Marlin. I haven't been able to tell you though, because you needed me and I couldn't hurt you. I'm sorry Lu, this has killed me..." He told her, his eyes shining with emotion. She swallowed hard, taking in everything he had just said, Rock _loved _her, actually forever _loved _her.

"I..." She wanted to get words out, to say something just to end the silence but she couldn't, her eyes filled with tears as she looked hopelessly into his eyes.

"That was my promise."

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O.o 


	19. Touch My Heart

Sorry I keep forgetting to update, I'm terrible I know. Merci beaucoup (my apparant french skills) to my reviewers :) Hope y'all have a great summer.

**hmgirly12: **Why thank you, well about Lumina rejecting Rock... I guess it's time to find out.

**gothangel12345: **Yeah I guess Jack was being kind of an insensitive jerk, but I guess people deal with loss in different ways. You have a great summer too ;)

**YukiShinoya444: **The butler did it... hehe, sounds so cliche when you say it like that ;) but is Tak right or not? Everyone should eat pudding, they should make like a pudding world or something XD

**Awesome Rapidash: **Hehe, thanks, and what can I say? I love my cliffhangers, but finnnnaallly I'm updating - eep.

**NightimeRoseOX: **Thanks :) well I guess it's time to read and find out who Lumina picks, and decide if it's the right decision or not.

**Chicken Yuki:** Please do write your love confession in an un-romantic setting, I'd like to see that some day. Hmm, I guess no one does deserve anyone :S But yes well I'm afraid there is a lot of romantic junk to trudge through as you put it, but I will tell you that the full resolution of the murder is in about 5-7 chapters, so not _too _much "romantic junk" to trudge through, but there will be some.

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The tears poured from her eyes as she gazed at Rock, unable to say a single thing, unable to even think. She felt slightly numb, yet the tears continued to fall and she could see that even Rock wasn't far from tears.

"You... you... could say something." He encouraged her, his voice barely above a whisper but in the silent night she could hear him easily. His lips were trembling as his wide brown eyes apologised for him. She looked at the ground and shook her head, before doing the only thing she could think to do – she ran away.

Rock watched her go and didn't even try to stop her, her answer was clear now. It was as clear as day, she didn't love him and he'd just ruined their friendship. He let out a ragged, grieving sigh before walking limply to Nina's grave. The dark made it barely visible above the mournful hill, but he found it and knelt before it.

"I did what you told me to do, I did it. Are you happy?" He cried, he wanted to blame her for ruining everything, but he couldn't. It was his fault really, he'd fallen in love with his best friend. He leant against the grave, hot tears trickling down his cheeks and dropping onto the cold earth. He gripped the cool grass beneath his hand, grasping the dirt in an attempt to calm himself. But he was beyond calming, he had just lost the most precious thing in the world to him, and he didn't think she was coming back.

Lumina ran into the night, unable to stop running until she found herself in the sea. She waded in, wishing to run through the waves, but she was barred from escape. She fell to the wet sand, breathing heavily, her chest heaving as she looked up to the sky. Why had this happened to her? Rock shouldn't love her like that, and she would end up hurting him, the one thing she'd prayed never to do.

"_Do you love him?" _her mind asked her innocently, she bit her lip. She had always loved him, but as a friend, as a confidante, she'd never thought of him in any other light. But now she had to think, could she love him in that way? Did she already? But then she thought of Jack, up till then she had fancied herself smitten by him, completely in love. But now she was questioning whether she loved another man or not? Such was the fickleness of this young love. Did she even love Jack? Her mind was now a web of confusion, everything in her mind was screaming at her and arguing with each other.

"What do I do?" She asked no one in particular. The ocean waves rolled at her, soaking her already damp clothes and saturating her hair, so that it hung in limp rat's tails around her head. She stood quickly, undecided as to her course of action, but she knew she and Rock would stay close. They had to remain close, whether things stayed the same or they got closer. As for Jack, as much as she had enjoyed the time with him, he was more... expendable. Rock had been there through everything and she knew that she would be lost without him, so first she had to check their friendship was still there. Running away had probably not been the best idea, she had to admit.

She searched the entire Valley for Rock afterwards, her journey delayed slightly by the weight of her wet clothes. Eventually she found him crying by Nina's grave, but as soon as he saw her he stood.

"I..." he began but she walked over and brought him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and she leant her head on her chest.

"I don't know how I feel," she admitted in a whisper. "But we'll stay friends no matter what."

"Of course," he whispered, he kissed the top of her head and searched her amber eyes, as though trying to look into her soul.

Eventually they walked back to the house and Lumina looked in the mirror, realising with a flush of embarrassment the state she must look. Her hair fell like dark snakes over her shoulders and her skin was red and blotchy and her eyes were pink from crying. She was covered in dirt and soaked to the skin, she looked like a vagrant. Sighing she changed and brushed her hair, until she was remotely presentable. She then went to find Rock in his room, but found him fast asleep. Smiling at his peaceful presence she lay down next to him and snuggled close to him.

"I don't know how I feel... but..." she didn't know how to finish that sentence, but she knew she was awed by his presence. "You can't lose me, I promise."

Lumina sat with her back against the tree in between the inn and blue bar, where one could stand and sell what they had to offer, if the fancy took them. The rough bark against her back served as a reminder to reality, to keep her from becoming too absorbed by her thoughts. The leaden feeling in her stomach still hadn't left, so she had been unable to eat. She hadn't been able to face people either, so she avoided everyone she could and was constantly walking. She mused to herself that she had become just like Nami had been before Gustafa, cold and alone. She hadn't even the heart to talk to Jack again, she knew he was worried about her. Whenever she walked by the farm in passing he would catch her glance and she would see the concerned expression on his face as he watched her.

But she couldn't face speaking to Jack or Rock; she had two guys crazy about her and she had no idea who to pick. Jack was already her boyfriend, officially, not that they'd been a great couple lately, but still she felt she had a duty to honour that relationship. Then there was Rock, who had been her friend throughout everything, he had been there when she had needed him the most, so she felt she owed him feelings from that. Although truly she knew, she couldn't base her feelings on her debts to people, no this had to come from the heart.

So she was stuck, whoever she chose she would end up hurting one of them and she cared so much about them both. She leaned her head back, her eyes focused straight ahead, she then spotted the very bare foundations of a house next to Wally's house. She stood and walked over to where Gotz, the rather melancholy carpenter from Mineral town, was building a house.

"What's this for?" She asked him, he turned to her, eying her sceptically.

"It's a house," he announced gruffly.

"Yes... but whom for?" She asked curiously. He placed his hands akimbo and stared at her, as though discerning whether or not she was worthy of the information.

"Your new neighbours," he told her grumpily and she sighed, that was all she would get out of him. Even though her curiosity was bubbling up inside her like lava she decided to leave it, and watch the progress of the house.

She then walked across the pathway, letting her feet take her wherever they might choose, it was no matter to her anymore. Yet she found herself at Jack's farm, it was time to make up. She wasn't sure that this had decided her feelings, but she still needed to make things right. She could see him petting his cow after brushing it, and as he spotted Lumina he walked over with an apprehensive smile on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna bite." She promised him, which earned her a slightly more relaxed smile.

"Yeah... I'm sorry Lu," he said apologetically and she waved her hand.

"Hey, I understand, it's not that I don't wish you had cared more, it's just that it's not vital." She told him softly, taking this as his cue that everything was alright again he stepped forward to kiss her. Lumina put her hand on his chest to stop him and he cocked his head questioningly. "We need to talk,"

"Those words never bring good news," he said with a nervous smile and she nodded slowly. "Alright, let's go inside."

In the farm house Jack fixed Lumina a mug of warm tea and himself some black coffee, as he said he needed something stronger. They sat in the small kitchen, that had been newly extended, facing each other.

"Okay so, we haven't exactly been close lately, and... I'm not saying I don't want to be with you. I just have to tell you something-" Jack looked at her inquiringly.

"Rock told me that's he's in love with me," she said quickly, then looking up at him with big eyes, as though to assess his reaction. He took a deep breath and leaned back against the chair, running a hand through his dishevelled brown hair.

"And," he managed after a long silence, "do you love him?"

She looked down at the ground, unable to meet his eyes. "I don't know..." she admitted.

"So... what does this mean for us?" He asked.

"Well... I think... at least I thought... that I loved you. So... so I was thinking we should stay together." She told him. That was it, she had been undecided before, but she had made her decision on the spur of the moment. "So... I pick you."

His smile widened and he leaned forward to kiss her gently, as though reminding himself of the taste of her lips. Their sweet taste was like strawberries, the definite taste of summer.

"I've missed you," he whispered against her lips. She opened her eyes and surveyed him unsurely.

"Yeah... me too..." She replied.

When Lumina arrived home she went straight to find Rock, there was no point in delaying the inevitable, she had to break his heart. She found him sitting in her room and gazing at of the window, she watched silently as she entered. The look on his face was sad, his mouth pulled down into a slight from, it was as though he already knew.

"Hey," she said softly and he turned and gave her a knowing look.

"I don't know how I know... but I do. You picked Jack." She nodded and he hung his head sadly, fighting back tears. Lumina saw no point in hiding hers, she was overwhelmed by the pain of hurting him.

"I'm so, so sorry." She murmured through the tears, her eyes shining with little tear droplets sitting like the rain would cling to windows.

"Yeah..." he wanted to say something comforting, and to tell her it didn't matter, but it so badly did. But he couldn't blame her, he had offered her the silver knife to cut either him or Jack, and she had stabbed him in the heart, but she did it with tears in her eyes. But she had still picked Jack over him, and yet if he had the choice, he would choose her over the survival of the entire world. She stared at him, and raised her arms for a hug, but he shook his head.

"Oh," she said softly, the rejection staining her eyes with pain, as though mirrors reflecting Rock's eyes. She then turned and walked slowly out of the door, without looking back.

The last day of spring seemed to arrive so soon after Lumina had broken Rock's heart, and they hadn't spoken properly since. She hoped she hadn't cut him too badly, she hoped she hadn't scarred him so that they might never be friends again. But at least she was spending time with Jack again, yet it wasn't the same. She had thought them happy before, but now there seemed to be a great empty hole whenever she saw him. She wondered if he had noticed it too, but he still seemed oblivious, maybe that was best.

Jack sat in the inn, contemplating his and Lumina's relationship. Muffy was watching him intently, which in most cases would unnerve him, but not in hers. It was not so piercing as Lumina's, it was not so much as if she were trying to analyse, more that she was just content watching.

"You and Lumina are back together... so why are you here?" She asked, her intuition was being used against him again.

"Because it's not the same, it hasn't been since Rock told her he loved her." He told the blonde. She nodded, she had been told by Rock a day earlier what had happened.

"But she picked you," she stated. Jack nodded, but looked into his drink.

"Somehow I don't think she picked me because she knew in her heart that it was what she wanted. I think she just picked me because she thought it was right." He admitted and Muffy gazed at him sympathetically. "I don't think she loves me anymore."

"If it's any consolation, I would have picked you and I would have known it was the right choice." She told the farmer who looked up at her with wide eyes. She giggled at him.

"Anyway, the bar's closing. I hope you sort things out with Lumina." She said with a smile and Jack simply nodded, unsure of what to say.

"He loves you," Ruby said as Lumina walked into the kitchen after tidying some of the rooms of the inn. She frowned in confusion and Ruby shook her head at the girls density.

"Rock, he loves you." She said again and Lumina nodded.

"I know,"

"Good, I just want you to know that he still does, and that he'll accept you and Jack eventually." Ruby said kindly.

"Mmm," Lumina murmured, turning her head away from Ruby so she could not see the look of worry in her eyes. She really wondered if she had made the right decision, but of course she had, she loved Jack, right? "I've gotta go somewhere."

Quickly she headed over to Jack's finding him slightly drunk staring at the TV which wasn't switched on.

"You might wanna turn that on," she told him, having pushed open the door after having knocked unanswered for a while.

"No, because I want to see what the people do when the TV's off!" He slurred and she shrugged.

"Well I wanted to talk to you, but you don't seem to be in the best state of mind right now. How about I fetch you some coffee?" She suggested and he nodded quickly.

She handed him the mug, which he downed quickly, even though it was scolding liquid.

"I burnt my tongue," he said softly, sobering up a little. She sat on the bed until he was sober enough to sit next to her. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"We'll be alright, won't we?" She asked innocently, such a fragile look upon her delicate, little features. Although he was unsure of the answer to her question he simply wrapped his arm around her and kissed her on the lips.

"You taste like coffee," she said, wrinkling up her little nose, and Jack laughed a little.

"How'd you like to stay round?" He asked raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"What?" She frowned, although they were having a brief happy moment, that was so not the right thing to say.

"Oh no!" Jack said, shaking his head when a look of realisation as to what he had seemingly implied hit him. He flushed red. "No, I meant watch some late night TV, I was suggesting that..."

"Late night TV?" she asked with wide eyes and Jack slapped his forehead.

"No, not _that_. I meant like the stupid stuff they show, and the horror movies." He managed eventually. She giggled and shook her head, leaning against him and placing her head on his shoulder.

"That sounds nice," she told him, as he flicked on the TV. In the end they found themselves watching a series called, "Barmy Farmy", a strange yet rather funny programme about life on a farm. It had such plot lines as little Jimmy getting stuck down a well, and a fling the sheep contest which no one won. After an hour of watching both of them were quite traumatised.

"So... why was that man trying to kill that cow?" Lumina asked with wide eyes and Jack looked at her in horror.

"I don't know, but what about when Clarabel died, it was so sad! That poor cow, flattened by a flying tractor." He said, his voice filled with a worrying measure of emotion.

"I really think we need some sleep,"

"I'll second that." They then snuggled into bed, curled up against each other, feeling content with the others company for the first time in a long while. When Lumina had dozed off, Jack stoked her silky hair and whispered into her ear.

"Yeah, I think we're gonna be fine."


	20. Something Blue

Sorry everyone that it's been so long, I haven't had the computer for like... a month, anywho enough of the excuses...

Thanks reviewy people :) you're all legendary ;)

**YukiShinoya444: **Well I hope the damage to your heartstrings has been minimal, wouldn't want to be responsible for any kind of doctors bill, I don't have that kind of money ;) the love triangle is rather a complicated one, but it does end... eventually. Ah the butler always seems to be responsible, ahh Sebastian. Pudding sounds excellent right now... thanks for the review!

**gothangel12345: **I pity all of the characters... but hopefully this chapter will bring what seems like a satisfying end to most... thanks :)

**like red on a rose: **Why thank you, well I suppose it depends on how Jack's being, sometimes he can be a jerk :S and I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer :)

**Kairi Tsubasa: **Well I'm very glad you like it, I know what you mean when writers describe things too much (try reading Thomas Hardy, his books take the biscuit). Yeah I used to like Rock when I started writing this fic, and I do like certain aspects of his character but in the DS game he bugs me. Yeah Lumina can be a moron, but it's strange how most girls don't pick the guy who loves her the most... Yeah, I have issues with slowing down stories, I guess I enjoy writing them too much to speed it up. Anyway, hope you don't die from suspense before I finish it, and sorry about this whole month of waiting... Thanks for reviewing despite my lack of updating speed.

**Awesome Rapidash: **Thanks. Soon would definitely be the wrong word for my updating speed... I feel guilty, honest. Yeah Lumina probably is with the wrong guy... or is she...

**frozenmoogle: **Yeah... poor Rock, doing this to him was like kicking puppies... thanks for the review :)

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With the summer came new flowers, beautiful vermilion happy lamps had sprung up over the emerald grass, looking like tiny splatters of blood from above. Lumina could sit amongst the flowers and wonder, how did they appear to Nina and Romana as they looked down. She cast her gaze up to the clear blue sky, practically empty of clouds, it somehow seemed closer when it was clear. The sun shone brightly through, inflaming the entire valley with its bright sunlight and warming the ground and every creature. The trees had all now dressed themselves in bright green leaves, which they rustled proudly in the gentle summer wind.

Lumina felt an arm upon her shoulder and turning she spotted Jack, his hair waving gently in the wind as he watched her with sparkling brown eyes. Things between them seemed to have changed like the weather, from the coldness of winter and the gradual warmth of spring. But now their relationship was bright as the summer, blossoming like the happy flowers. Her lips curved into a warm smile, inviting him to sit beside her and gaze upon the wonders of this summer world with her.

"My cow, Bella, just had a calf, she's a beautiful and healthy star cow." He informed her proudly and she shared the joy this had brought to him. She could hear the sounds of voices behind her and quickly she stood and grabbed Jack's hand to pull him behind a tree. From their hiding spot they could see Nami and Gustafa, conversing as they normally did. Their version of speaking was different from others, it was broken with long silences but one could tell that this meant that both were picking their next words carefully. So even though little was said, they were the best words that could be used.

"What is it?" Nami asked, straight to the point as always, questioning why she had been summoned. Griffin bowed his great head, choosing his next words carefully as always. Yet the right words, nay, the perfect words were not in his grasp. Instead he pulled from his pocket a beautiful cerulean feather that shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. Nami's likewise shaded eyes surveyed the feather with an awe that was unlike her, it reflected well upon her features, adding greatly to her beauty.

"Will you marry me?" Gustafa asked, deeming the words fitting although perhaps not necessary. Her eyes ran up and down the feather, as though photographing it with her mind and remembering each and every fibre, her face was graced with a huge smile. Smiles were a rare occurrence for Nami, but those who saw it were truly blessed as it was lovely to see. Her smile was much like a solar eclipse, rare to behold yet beautiful.

"Yes," she said softly, taking the feather in her pale, slender hand and feeling the silkiness of the symbol of her happiness. Gustafa then took her in his arms, and kissed her blood red hair, smiling broadly.

From her hiding space Lumina smiled, tears appearing in her eyes, although she had no idea why. She wiped them hastily and looked at Jack who seemed a little confused.

"Why the feather?" He asked and Lumina sighed.

"It's the symbol of marriage her, it is a rare occurrence to find one although nowadays you can buy them. It used to be considered a sign from the universe that you were ready to be married if you found one, I think the custom was far more special then." She told him, her eyes glazed over. Since she was a young child she had dreamed of being proposed to and watching this brought back those memories. However inside Jack's mind he was pressing the panic button, he wasn't ready to be married!

"Uh... I've gotta go... calf... new... bye." With that he ran off before Lumina could say anything. A deep crease appeared in her brow, he was terrified of marriage.

That evening every resident of the valley was invited to the bar, so everyone squeezed in and the door leading to Griffin's room was even opened to accommodate more people. Everyone had a drink in their hand as they were told that two big announcement were to be made. Jack sat on the other side of the room from Lumina, still too terrified that she expected him to propose to her soon to hear that she did not. So instead she sat next to Rock, who had already forgiven her for rejecting him.

"What do you think it's about?" She whispered, wondering if he knew what the other announcement would be.

"I have no idea, and there's two announcements... must be big." He whispered back and she nodded. Eventually their questions were answered when the babbling of the crowd was quelled by the tapping of a wine glass. They all turned to see Celia standing there shyly, a light pink blush spread across her face.

"H-hello everyone, Marlin and I have an announcement." She informed them, turning to her fiancé with a large, loving smile. He returned it, a smile from Marlin was as rare as a smile from Nami, giving Celia the courage to continue. "We're finally getting married, in four days time. We know it's short notice, but we decided on this today."

Everybody turned to each other in silence, mounting Celia's nerves and fear of upsetting everyone. However after a few seconds they clapped and cheered loudly, bringing an even larger smile to her pale face. "You're all invited, so come along."

Next Nami took the attention of the small audience, to voice her small monologue that would hold only the necessary information. "Gustafa and I are engaged." And that was enough, people clapped once again and the announcements were over.

Many of the people stayed for drinks, forgetting about the crowded atmosphere and the problems of their life to revel in the happiness of another. However Lumina was not in a social mood, the news of that evening had left her philosophical, and when she was in such a mood the outside world's call seemed at its loudest.

She stepped out into the open, the air was still warm although it was now dark and the stars stood as tiny pinpricks in the ebony silken sheet of the sky. Towards the sea she ventured, her arms wrapped around her, more a defensive position than one to block out the cold. Her mind hovered around, first blessing the intense yet gentle beauty of nature and then focusing on her social issues. Soon all of the girls would be married, and Jack ran at the idea that she even thought he would propose. It was not as though she had said anything to convince him that she needed to be engaged now, even though she could not deny that one day she would like to be a wife.

"I'm sorry," she heard the voice behind her, Jack had finally managed to get over his stupidity and talk to her.

"Yeah... I never said I wanted you to propose to me now, you know." She told him, without turning around. She could hear him sigh deeply behind her and she paused to listen to his reply.

"I... I do know that, it's just I panicked. I can't offer you anything right now, and even though I want to get married and it was my father's dream I just... I can't right now." He told her honestly, she then turned to him, her golden brown eyes filled with warmth and understanding. They resembled the eyes of a mother lioness, gazing with affection mingled with fierce protection.

"I never said I needed you to. Whenever you're ready is fine by me," she told him, yet her expression and her eyes told a different story. Her glistening eyes held tears of longing and her cherry lips curved down slightly reflecting a half-concealed sadness. Still Jack ignored this and nodded, relief spreading out through his body and to all his extremities. He stepped over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, as they continued through the night together.

A wedding in the valley had not been seen for quite some time, not since as a young couple Chris and Wally had eloped under the branches of a tall tree in the middle of the valley that no longer existed in Lumina's time. It caused a stir in the air, filling everybody with happiness yet nerves and stress. There was so much to plan in so short a time and Lumina had been employed in both the catering and the decorations. Carter, the priest from Mineral town had already been called and informed that he would be performing a wedding in a few days time, which he had calmly agreed to.

Lumina had been helping gather ingredients for the first day, which she found to be a challenging yet exciting job. She was sent of to Mineral town with the aid of Ruby to find every ingredient needed for the wedding feast. They were to make a large, white iced cake, many different kinds of finger food, a large amount of soup and enough fish for everybody. The ingredient gathering was successful and she left the town after a few hours with every ingredient purchased at a low, low price now bundled in her arms and Ruby's. They just about made it through the door and placed everything on the table, then came the job of cooking.

The day of cooking went very well indeed, Lumina had been taught by Ruby how to cook since she had lived at the inn and everything had been perfectly prepared and spiced with a hint of Ruby spice. Nobody, with the exception of Ruby, had any idea what went into the fragrant spice although from the brilliant red colour Lumina assumed happy lamps went into the mix, yet still it was a delicacy in the valley.

The day before the wedding Celia was sent to stay at the inn while preparations were completed and Marlin went to stay with Gustafa, who swore he was more than happy to sleep under the stars. Apparently he liked the way they danced after he smoked some of his "peace herbs", which was oddly suspicious. In the time before the wedding Lumina still had to decorate the small hut-like area on the beach, where the wedding would be held. The reception would also be held at the beach so tables and chairs had been set out on the sand.

Lumina decorated the place with beautiful ribbons, silk cloths and gorgeous summer flowers, including white roses which had been purchased from elsewhere. After decorating the beach however she was to decorate Celia's bedroom for the wedding night. As she lay out the smooth, silk white sheets over the bed and decorated the room with scented candles, she had a sick feeling of nostalgia. Celia had been saving herself until marriage and now Lumina felt she had rushed into things, she had not valued her virginity much until she had lost it. With a sad sigh she sprinkled rose petals over the bed and added her finishing touches.

The next day was the wedding and Lumina was in her light green, radioactive dress and attending to the seating. That morning she had looked at herself in the mirror and sighed, there was no way you could make yourself look beautiful in a dress of that shade. She then returned to the inn to help Celia get ready. Lumina was awed by the beauty of Celia in the wedding dress, it was silky white with soft fur around the neck. She had pretty snowdrops plaited into her chestnut hair, which now shimmered like glossy wood.

"Celia..." Lumina whispered, taking a step closer as Celia turned to smile at her. Tiny tears of joy had formed like tiny jewels in the corners of Celia's eyes and Lumina felt immense happiness for her friend.

"Lu... this is... this is the happiest I've ever been," she told her. Lumina nodded in understanding, she had no jealousy that Marlin had picked Celia, even if her own relationship seemed to be going nowhere.

"So are you ready?" She asked, taking Celia's pale hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life," the girl admitted, the girl that was soon to be a woman. Lumina lead her out to the beach, where Marlin was standing and waiting for her. He was dressed in an ebony suit that made his eyes stand out like blue fire, piercing yet they held the gentleness of a stream. Celia walked with the elegant grace of a swan, lead by Vesta, who was giving her away in place of a father. She then stood in front of Marlin, beaming at him and placing her hands behind her back.

Lumina took her seat on one of the chairs that had been set out the day before, she turned to see Jack, who was watching the couple with a strange look on his face. The look held something that Lumina couldn't quite place, it was as though he had suddenly understood something. She turned to face the wedding once again as Carter cleared his throat.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the wedding of Celia Thistle and Marlin Bloom, now before we begin; does anyone know of any lawful reason as to why these two should not be married?" Carter asked, a serious look in his eyes. Lumina half expected the man from Celia's arranged marriage to appear, but somehow the wedding went of without a hitch, and the two were able to get hitched.

"Do you Celia Thistle take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

Celia blushed, bowing her head before looking into Marlin's eyes with warmth and deep love. "I do."

"And do you Marlin Bloom take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Marlin said shortly, although his outer appearance did not change you could feel the happiness radiating off him.

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride." Carter told them and Celia wrapped her arms around Marlin's neck for a shy kiss. The audience beamed at the couple, everyone loves a happy ending.

The people stood and made their way to the tables of food as Lumina lingered to offer her congratulations. She beamed at the couple and walked over to them, they seemed so happy stood hand in hand.

"I'm glad you guys are so happy, and I hope you have a great evening." She told them.

"Thank you," Celia said, taking Lumina's hand in her own in a grateful gesture. Marlin nodded with gratitude before Lumina turned to join Jack at the food table. He still seemed cold, but the wedding was too happy an occasion for her to worry.

After the meal Lumina made her way down the path to head to the inn, it was now dark and the street lamps illuminated her lonely way. Suddenly she felt an arm on her shoulder and she turned to see Jack's serious face.

"I need to talk to you Lumina, can we walk?" He said softly and she nodded, unable to say anything. She had a sick feeling of anxiety in her stomach, because she knew that this wouldn't be good. Sometimes, even though you are completely unaware of future events you know that they will not turn out well and Lumina knew this now. Yet she remained silent, oppressed by the strange coolness of the summer evening and Jack's frigid stance. They arrived in the dark of the woods, hidden from the prying eyes of neighbours so they could converse without fear of gossip.

"I... this hasn't been working." He stated.

"No, but it had been. Up until the talk of marriage, this had begun to work again." She said honestly, he didn't deny it, instead he looked at his shoes. "It's okay if you're afraid Jack, I can wait..."

"No." He said sharply and Lumina shrank back. "Because you're not waiting for anything."

Her eyes widened as they filled with fresh tears, the fact that she had been wasting her time hit her like a sucker punch.

"So you just let me believe that... this meant something." She asked, her voice so weak and vulnerable that it hurt Jack's heart. But he had to do this; it was not an option to give in to weakness.

"No... you were never the one Lumina, you should have known that."

"How could I have known?" She spat, her tears of sadness turning into boiling drops of anger.

"I thought you did, you don't love me Lumina, we both know this." He said softly, he didn't want to blame things on her, but he owed her the truth. Although he had wanted to blame the situation on himself to prevent her being hurt, he needed her to know the true reason. If he thought she loved him he would propose in a second, but she wasn't with him out of love, she was with him out of duty; the love was one-sided.

"What are you talking about?! Of course I love you!" She protested wildly, she couldn't believe he would deny her feelings.

"No you don't Lu, I do love you but you don't feel the same. Look into your heart and you'll see it, you're in love with Rock. Although your mind is with me, your heart is with him." Jack told her.

"You're wrong, why are you saying this?" She asked, her voice back to that of hurt and vulnerability. Jack sighed, the truth hurt more.

"I'm in love with Muffy, I want to be with her, not you. So it'll just be better for us both if you let go, okay?" He said, turning away from her, unable to look at her hurt puppy face. She placed her hand firmly on his arm, ready to rekindle the argument.

"Don't Lu," he said, stepping out of her reach. "It's done."

She then watched as the man she believed she loved walked into the dark and slowly disappeared. She wiped the tears from her eyes, not willing to let herself break down again. Instead she headed for the inn with determination.

"What's wrong?" Rock asked immediately as she entered the room, mascara running down her cheeks and her eyes red and swollen. He stood up and walked towards her, pulling her into a hug and placing his chin on the top of her head, that was the main reason he liked being taller than her. She didn't answer his question, instead she looked into his eyes before leaning in to kiss him. It was a short and gentle kiss and Rock pulled away quickly, gazing searchingly into her eyes.

"Jack broke up with me," she offered with a shrug and Rock nodded.

"Then you're hurting right now, let's get you to bed." He said softly, readying her flannel pyjamas for her and turning around as she changed into them. She offered no resistance as she was still numb from her conversation with Jack, how long had he loved Muffy for? Was it true what he said, that he had seen that she was in love with Rock? She looked at the blonde man in question, she loved him as a friend, but was she _in love_ with him.

"He told me that I loved you," she told him and Rock looked at her, his earthen brown eyes looking at her face, trying to make sense of the words. He helped her into bed before sitting down next to her.

He took a deep breath, studying her features, although he needn't have, he already had every curve committed to memory. "And do you?"

She looked at her hands, her mouth formed in a confused pout. "I don't know."

He nodded, it would be too good to be true for her to say she loved him. "You sleep Lu and... we'll talk tomorrow." He promised.

"Rock... wait," she said as he was about to leave. "... Thank you."

"Lumina, no matter what I'll be here for you, okay. You don't need to worry about that." He swore and she smiled. He loved her so much and she had so many reasons to love him. She'd always felt at her happiest with him and when she thought about it, her heart had always beat so fast when he was near her. So how had she never seen these signs before, why had Jack been the one to notice? She didn't know, but she knew she owed Jack an apology. At least he'd also been in love with Muffy, so she wasn't the only one in love with another.

"I love you Rock," she whispered as he shut the door.

* * *


	21. Old and New

Ahh the summer is nearly over, such a shame :( but I've finally found the time between holiday and social life to submit this, so that's good...

Thanks reviewers, you guys are better than warm underwear on a cold day :)

**Kairi Tsubasa:** Why no problem at all for replying, I try to do it every chapter :) I'm glad that you like what's happening, made me happy too... and I write the stuff ;) Well I'm glad it's worth the wait, I'm gonna try and get faster, I promise :)

**Chicken Yuki: **I know what you mean about Marlin, he always seems a little too mean, but his hair's a little like the Fonz's so I couldn't be too mean ;) Jack's words do sound a little insincere don't they? Your suspicions are possibly true ;) Aww well thank you, I'm glad to be one of your favourite writers, and you're most definitely one of my best reviewers :)

**frozenmoogle: **Well hopefully Jack's sudden love for Muffy will be cleared up in the next few chapters, and so will the identity of the murderer... not _too_ long now I promise. :)

**YukiShinoya444: **A very sensible reaction, reaching straight for the pudding ;)

**klutz586: **I'm gonna try to update sooner, honestly, it's finding time that's the trouble... Hope you'll stay tuned though :)

**Awesome Rapidash: **Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and the identity of the murderer is looming ever closer...

**like red on a rose: **Yeah I think Rock and Lumina are rather cute together. But all feelings will be revealed in good time :)

**gothangel12345: **Yeah I've always wondered about Gustafa, he seems a little _too _out there, I'll always believe in the GustafaxWeed relationship.

* * *

Lumina sat at her favourite position near the old tree between the inn and Blue bar, from here she could see all that went on in the street before her. Her focus was currently caught by the new house that had been built next to Wally's and Chris' house. It was pink, tall and looked as though it was built for a relatively well of family, but not as rich as she used to be. She closed her eyes, reclining against the old tree and feeling the rough bark against her skin, she took a breath.

"Morning," she was greeted by Jack, who was surprisingly smiling at her. She stood quickly, having been driven out of her comfort zone. She bowed her head and clasped her hands together, a sign of her discomfort with the situation. "You don't need to worry, I'm not mad." Jack assured her and she raised her eyes to meet his.

"Yeah... sorry, it's my first break up. I have no idea how to act..." She told him shyly, tucking a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. He was suddenly struck by how young she was, how purely innocent her conduct was towards him.

"Well it depends on the break up, but I think ours is civil enough for us to still be friends." He assured her, which earned him a pleased smile.

"Good, because I couldn't imagine us not being friends." She said softly, a meaningful look in her eyes as she caught his. He chuckled and patted her on the shoulder tentatively, unsure of what else to do.

"Well... I'll catch ya later," he told her before walking into Blue bar. She realised, with a slight twinge of pain, that he was going to visit Muffy and probably ask her to be his girlfriend. She stood, unsure of where to go next, her comforting spot by the tree seemed ruined now. She was about to find a quieter and more secluded space when she saw a small man with dark hair and glasses approach the pink house. He was a perfect stranger, dressed in a white shirt and tie he looked very business-like.

"Hello," Lumina greeted, her curiosity had gotten the better of her. He eyed her nervously, appearing to her like a rabbit eying an unknown object.

"Hello..."

"I'm Lumina, I've never seen you here before." She said persistently, this guy didn't seem eager to chat. In any case he held out a sweaty hand and she shook it.

"Grant Ford," he stated shortly, not bothering to explain his presence in the peaceful valley.

"Right, so... what are you doing here?"

"I'm buying this house," he informed her, and he scurried off to avoid further questioning. She watched him leave with a slight frown on her face, _"What a strange man," _she thought. After watching him hurry off she turned, facing the inn with a determined frown on her face. She had something she had to face up to, but she wasn't sure she was ready yet. So instead she made her way to Vesta's farm, where she decided it was time to greet the happy newly weds.

When she entered she found them both up and dressed already, happily doing the farm work as they had always done.

"You're working?" Lumina asked incredulously, knowing she would never work the day after her wedding, or even a week after.

Celia beamed at her, wiping her grubby hands on her green farm dress. "Oh yes, I have to finish planting these crops. But tomorrow we're off for our honeymoon – Vesta insists." The way Celia told her that Vesta had insisted implied that she would really rather stay at home and farm.

"Where are you going?" Lumina asked, cocking her head to the side in intrigue. She had always dreamed of travelling and, although she had returned home, she had enjoyed her adventure away from the valley.

"Just Mineral town, I couldn't bear to be too far away. There's a log cabin up in the mountains that used to belong to a farmer, but he couldn't afford it, so they rent it as a holiday home." She explained, busy pulling up veggies as she spoke.

"Well that'll be nice and private, so you guys can... erm... be peaceful." Lumina said a slight blush on her cheeks. Celia turned bright red and placed a finger on her lips. Lumina nodded, after all it was after the wedding night and innocent Celia was just getting used to the idea. _"When was I that innocent?" _Lumina wondered, feeling rather ashamed.

"Yes, it will be beautiful up there though, we head off in two days, so I must finish my planting by then." She said, although she would never say it, Celia was hinting that Lumina should leave.

"Right well I'd best be off," the relief in Celia's face was a little too obvious. "Catch you later."

"Thanks for stopping by," Celia smiled and Lumina left.

Lumina knew that she should go to the inn again and speak to Rock, but still her feet wouldn't carry her there, so she found them leading her to Gustafa's yurt where she saw him playing to Nami outside. It was the picture of contentment, Nami sat with her intense eyes closed, ruby red hair blowing gently in the summer winds, simply listening to the sweet sound of Gustafa's guitar. He was equally content in playing and improvising in his singing, as he said, the words didn't matter, just the melody. Lumina watched with a slight smile on her lips, unable to interrupt the serenity of the scene before her. However her presence must have been felt as just moments later the music stopped and Nami said, with her eyes still closed: "Can we help you?"

Lumina's eyes widened, realising she had been caught. "No... sorry, I was just listening."

"Take a seat then," Nami offered, her eyes going to the spot next to her. Lumina sat there immediately, it was not often Nami would offer someone to sit down, let alone right next to her.

"Thank you, I was just wondering... when is the wedding?" She asked, breaking the silence she assumed would have followed, Nami and Gustafa didn't speak. In fact, the guitar seemed to be the medium of conversation most of the time, the only thing preventing silence and illustrating Gustafa's complex feelings.

"Fall sometime..." Nami said with a completely indifferent shrug, it was a façade that said as far as she was concerned, the wedding could be in ten years.

"Late _this_ Fall," Gustafa added, and Nami turned, her glassy eyes surveying him. It was obvious that they had not discussed the dates and this was Gustafa's way of communicating his decision to her. A slight smile appeared on her face and she nodded her agreement.

Lumina grinned, wondering how a marriage without communication would work. "You guys really need to talk more, there's a lot to plan."

Gustafa nodded and Nami looked unsure, communications were fine with Gustafa but speaking really wasn't her strong suit. But he knew it would work out fine, Nami was so stubborn that she would be sure to voice disagreements.

"You'll be fine," Lumina assured them, standing up with a smile. Even though they didn't talk a lot Nami and Gustafa were fine, she really wished that not talking to Rock would still be fine.

She had finally managed to position herself outside the inn, ready to speak to Rock and sort everything out, although she was still relatively confused about her own feelings. She then spotted Jack heading towards Blue bar, jealousy filled her insides, tingeing them green. She saw Muffy step out of the door, greeting Jack with a long passionate kiss. Lumina turned to face the door, fuming from the sight of her ex and her supposed friend.

"Hey Lu..." Rock said stepping out of the door and Lumina's eyes widened. He turned to see what she looked so angry about. "I guess he moved on pretty quickly."

Lumina shook her head, "He had already been moving during our relationship, he dumped me for her." She said bitterly.

"Oh..." Rock said, feeling pity for her, the gladness that she was now single slowly disappearing.

"But... I guess that means you and me..." She hinted, fidgeting with her hands behind her back nervously.

"No," He said quickly and she looked up at him in shock. He then turned and walked away, giving her no explanation. She sighed, not even bothering to follow him, that was just the way her day was going.

"So he just walked away?" Celia asked later as she made vegetable soup. Lumina nodded, cradling her head in her hands, a deep frown on her face. "And you didn't follow him?"

"No, I had to just let him walk." She admitted.

"Oh," Celia said sympathetically, stirring the soup pensively looking a little like a medicine lady – a gypsy fortune teller of some kind. "You need to find him."

"I know that, but what do I say? What if he doesn't love me anymore?" She asked, biting her lip.

"I don't think that's the issue here," Celia told her, before taking a little of the thick, grey soup and tasting it on a spoon. "Needs salt."

"What do you mean? What the hell is the issue then?" Lumina asked and Celia cringed as she burnt her lip on the hot liquid.

The dark brunette girl sighed, her grey-brown eyes turning like a thunder cloud on the golden-chestnut haired girl. "Look! Do you love the boy or not?"

"Yes!" Lumina shouted with frustration as a simple reflex. Her eyes then widened as she realised what she had said. "I do love him... thanks Celia."

Celia placed her hands on her hips, proud that her work was done. "You're welcome."

"You know," Lumina began as she stood up. "You may just be better at advice than Muffy."

"And I'm free, Muffy costs the price of a cheap alcoholic drink." Celia said with a wink. Lumina turned to leave, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh... to find Rock." Lumina said with a frown.

"No you're not, you're trying my soup. It may not cost money to talk to me, but it costs time..."

"... and perhaps your taste buds." Marlin added as he walked in the door.

"Watch it, or I'll add something special in the soup for you." Celia informed him, and he paled slightly.

"I've got... to... go..." Lumina said nervously as she edged out of the door, leaving the married couple to fight, using the artillery of Celia's soup, which was perhaps explosive.

Rock sat on a big rock (ironic no?), facing the lights of the inn. He watched as shadows passed across the window, wondering what the people inside were doing. He really wasn't the kind of person who could sit in silence and muse about his problems, in fact usually when he was silent his brain shut off all together.

"And why would Lumina love me? She so clever and I'm... well when they were giving out brains I wasn't there." He said out loud, laughing a little at his own joke.

"Haven't you heard opposites attract?" The voice of an angel came to him as he turned to face his goddess.

"Lumina... we're so different, I know why you can't love me..."

"Then how come I do?" She asked, not even asking before she took a seat next to him. One of the things she loved about him was how she could give up her ladylike ways around him and just let loose.

"I don't know... wait was that question... re... rewound... no... replied... no re... re... rhe..." He mumbled to himself and Lumina frowned.

"Rhetorical?" She asked and he nodded with a smile. "Yeah it was."

"But can you answer that for me... please?" He begged, his big, puppy-dog brown eyes pleading her.

"Fine... it's because you're funny... even though you laugh at your own jokes... which is kinda weird by the way..." She smiled at him and he beamed back. "You really care about me and you're weird... but in a good way... and cute... now why do you like me?"

"I don't anymore." He said with a shrug and her eyes widened in horror. "Kidding, kidding. I guess I love you because you're completely the opposite..."

"Are you saying I'm not cute or funny?" She demanded and he shook his head quickly.

"No... You're beautiful and you're funny in a completely different... less funny... way." He laughed at himself and she folded her arms over her chest but found herself smiling regardless.

"I was all ready to come here and tell you I loved you, but now I'm not so sure." She said in mock confusion.

"Ah well, there's plenty more fish in the sea..." he said with a shrug and she slapped his arm. "But you're a whale." He said with a caring smile, believing that what he had said was a compliment.

Her eyes widened in anger, "A whale? A WHALE?"

Rock frowned, then shook his head vehemently when he realised his mistake. "No I meant... a mermaid, because you're better than a fish."

"You have quite the way with words." She told him sardonically, he smiled sheepishly.

"You're the one who's good with words, I'm the muscle." He said smugly.

"The pen is mightier than the sword..."

"Yeah but..." He began.

"Are you going to kiss me or not?" She interrupted and he laughed.

"Nah," he said with a shrug and she frowned. "Well if you insist." He leant over and placed a gentle kiss on her pink lips. Lumina smiled, somehow being with Rock like this felt right, more right than she'd felt with Jack, she couldn't believe she'd been so stupid.

"Rock," she whispered once he had pulled away.

"Yeah?" He asked, cocking his head to the side in question.

"You'll never leave me, right?" She asked, sounding so fragile and innocent. He looked into her light brown eyes and placed his hand to her soft cheek.

"I'll be dead before I do, and even then, I'll be there." He said and she smiled, he wasn't poetic, but she knew he wasn't lying. The words were sweet, despite the image of Rock's corpse following her around appearing in her mind's eye.

"I know..."

Happiness always seems to be short lived, even in a place like Forget-me-not valley. Although it is far away from the hustle and bustle of city life and the people there are said to be genuine, life is still not without its heartaches. But happiness is not happiness without sadness, if you have never experienced sadness how do you distinguish happiness as a good feeling? If there is no alternative then happiness ceases to be happy and becomes normal. So naturally one must take the ups with the downs and when an up comes your way, enjoy it.

Lumina was surprised to find that during the beginning of her relationship with Rock she hadn't had a single sad moment. Although they didn't spend all day together they were always happy in the time that they did spend. She wasn't even jealous when she saw Jack and Muffy together. Yet she took the perfect happiness with an uneasy feeling deep in the pit of her stomach, if she was so content now then disaster couldn't be far away.

Ruby caught her frowning one day and questioned her. Lumina had explained her reasoning; her caution of too much happiness had taken the smile from her face.

"If life hands you lemons, make lemonade." Ruby had told her with a shrug.

"What if the lemons are too sour?" She had checked, although she loved lemons and had been known to eat them sans sugar before, she knew well that all lemonade needed sweetening.

"You'll never know unless you take a bite and try to enjoy it."

Lumina had known immediately that Ruby was right, but somehow she couldn't shake the feeling, but she did not voice her concerns to Rock, which was a lot harder than she had expected as they began to spend so much of their time together. They would greet each other in the morning with a shy kiss and then they would hold hands loosely as they walked to the beach. There they would watch the sea in silence, a hundred different thoughts would run through Lumina's mind and she would always watch Rock through the corner of her eye, wondering if the same thoughts penetrated his mind. She knew that he wasn't much for thinking, well at least he hadn't been, but ever since he had been spending time with her he had grown more silent. They say that "empty vessels make most noise" and Rock used to be the loudest of them all, but perhaps his vessel had been filled by Lumina's wise presence.

As summer hit its decline and the silky viridian leaves of the trees let go of their old lives to join with Gaia, mother of the earth, Autumn came creeping along, painting the landscape golden with the stroke of its Midas touch. Lumina lay on her back with her head resting upon Rock's chest, facing the pale sky. The clouds reflected in her eyes, coating them with frost as her mind was numb with the frostbite of relaxed contentment. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest, heaving her closer to the heavens and then snatching her back down to earth again, each satisfied sigh was like the undulating of ocean waves which calmed her greatly.

"Are you warm enough?" His voice came through the thick silence, breaking the freezing spell and warming her so that she could truthfully answer yes. She yawned, before rolling over so that the side of her head rested on his chest but she was facing him.

"Yes, let's stay longer." She whispered, a small smile turning her petal pink lips at the corners. His eyes drifted leisurely across her face, taking in the pale semblance of her face and the slight blush upon her cheeks, rouged from the rough kiss of the fall wind.

"Tell me when you want to head back then."

She shook her head, somehow she felt she needed to stay and she knew her answer would be never. She would like to stay outside, basking in the tender arms of Mother Nature, in love and being loved; they would stay there in the soft grass even when winter came and the snow covered them like a white blanket. Even when the winds were harsh and a storm roared at them to shelter, protesting that Nature should belong to it alone they would stay, unfazed by Storm's roughness.

"I will," came her answer, unlike she had wanted it to be. She knew that to stay was madness, that lying there was an invitation to Death who willed it that they rest there forever; that Nature's wrath would be too strong to endure; the intelligence that she had been blessed with told her this. Yet the folly of love sang a different tune, it was the snake that offered the apple to Eve, it would grant the world to the martyrs of love.

"It's getting cold," he informed her, wrapping a protective arm around her to shield her from the cold; she had been unaware as she had floated through her thoughts that it was getting late.

"But I want to stay here," she told him; she was so satisfied with their current state and somehow she felt going inside would break their contentment like a sheet of glass.

Rock smiled at her and she felt his chest rumble as he laughed at her innocence. "If we go inside I'll make you hot chocolate and we can lie by the fire instead." As enticing as his words were and as bitter as the cold was she still dreaded the inside; yet she nodded her agreement. He pulled her up by the hand, wrapping his arm around her slim waist and leading her back to the inn.

Up the stairs she walked with a china mug of hot chocolate clasped against her icy hands. Rock had remained downstairs, setting up the fire in his parents bedroom as she changed into her flannel pyjamas. It was dark in the hallway, as Ruby and Tim were at Blue bar and so every light was off and Lumina knew the hallway so well she didn't need light. Ruby and Tim went to the bar not to drink but to socialise, due to their heritage alcohol had a strange effect on them, strangely this gene had not been inherited by Rock, who could drink alcohol as if it were water. Lumina flicked the light switch and gazed ahead in her room, her shaking hand dropped the hot chocolate and the pupils of her eyes shrunk in the light. There in front of her was a face she had believed that she would never see again.

* * *

**Just to ruin the dramatic effect: DUN DUN DUN**


	22. Stranger

Well I decided not to hold out the cliffhanger too long since we're getting slowly closer to the revealing chapter and I'm sure you're all getting impatient with me XD.

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, you guys are seriously awesome :)

**Kairi Tsubasa, Chicken Yuki, YukiShinoya444, Werewolf559, klutz586, Vook, NightimeRoseOX, Awesome Rapidash, gothangel12345, Ekoaleko, Midnight Raining Down, like red on a rose**

Really sorry I don't have time to reply to all you guys, I've got a lot of work to do... and I didn't wanna leave the cliffhanger too long. I'll try to find the time next time I promise...

Thanks for reveiwing though :)

* * *

"Y-you," Lumina's voice shook as she spoke, she couldn't move as she was rooted to the spot. The old man looked regretful, he surveyed her apologetically, knowing her reaction was more than justified.

"I'm so sorry Lumina," he said, his voice was hoarse; Sebastian seemed to have aged twenty years since she had last seen him, when in reality it had been just three. Her mouth seemed frozen now as her mind worked so slowly, she was still processing the reality of this situation. Sebastian was back, somehow he was back even though he had left her, leaving only a note for her to find. He took a step closer and finally her feet seemed to work as she took a step back. At the same time her mouth began to work as she screamed.

"Please, Lumina, don't be afraid... It's only me." He said, his voice wavering as he was unsure of what to say or how to act.

"Get out." She managed through gritted teeth and Sebastian looked at her with a shocked expression.

"But..."

"GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!" She screamed, pointing at the door. Suddenly Rock came running up the stairs with a frying pan in his hand, ready to attack whatever had tried to harm her; his jaw dropped when he saw Sebastian.

"What... what are you doing here?" He asked, frying pan still raised and ready in his hand. Sebastian sighed, as he eyed the frying pan and the young man carefully, he had no idea of what had happened in the Valley, but he knew he needed to make his moves carefully.

"I want to explain that – explain everything, if you'll just give me a chance we can all sit down and talk." Sebastian told them calmly.

"No," Lumina spat. "I don't want to listen to you." Rock looked at her, the fire in his eyes had been doused by her coldness. As he saw the situation Lumina had been betrayed by the man that stood in front of him, Sebastian had left her with nothing but a letter before abandoning her when she needed him the most; but now he wanted to explain himself and Rock believed that he deserved that.

"Lu... Honey..." Rock said softy, his hand going to the small of her back in an attempt to calm her. Sebastian watched with curiosity, _honey_, was that what a brother-sister relationship should be like? He had believed that Rock and Lumina would become as close as brother and sister, but this seemed a little strange.

"No Rock, this man abandoned me and now he comes back and thinks I'm just going to open the door to my life after he was the one who shut it and locked it. It just doesn't work like that." She said firmly, hot tears appearing in her eyes.

"He wants to explain himself and I think he deserves that Lu, just that. I'm not saying let him into your life... our lives, I'm just saying – hear him out, he could have something important to say." Rock explained to her; she knew he had her best interests at heart but she felt that he didn't understand.

"He has nothing to say that I want to hear." She told him stubbornly, her eyes flashing angrily at this man that she would rather consider a stranger than a former father figure.

"No, but I think he has things to say that you _need _to hear. I'm not going to let you regret letting him walk out of your life again without an explanation. Just hear him out, you don't need to let him in." Rock told her and she opened her mouth to argue back, but she couldn't.

"Fine," she said with a defeated sigh. "But I'm doing this for Rock, not for you." She informed Sebastian.

"Thank you," he said, his voice was cracking with emotion, he had never thought he would look upon his adoptive daughter ever again. He loved this girl more than his own children – although that was wrong it was true and he knew he belonged with her, not them.

* * *

Lumina was reluctantly led down to Ruby and Tim's bedroom, where there were two armchairs facing each other right opposite the fire that Rock had newly kindled. She took one of the red velvet chairs and Sebastian took the other, while Rock sat on the bed which faced the chairs. 

"I'd rather speak to you alone..." Sebastian informed her and she scowled at him.

"Anything you have to say to me you have to say to Rock, we don't keep secrets from each other." She said firmly with a smile in Rock's direction.

"That's some strong brother-sister bond..." The old man commented and she glared at him once again.

"Look, there's a lot you don't understand, so just say what you have to say and get out, okay?" She spat, she could be a very disagreeable person if she wanted to, and right now she hated Sebastian more than anyone, except the murderer of her parents and Romana; and if Takakura was right, which she now she believed he might be, then Sebastian was that murderer.

"Okay, but this is a long story, I have a lot to say so you'd both better get comfortable."

"With you here it's not possible."

"Right, well I'll start at the beginning," Sebastian began awkwardly. "The beginning is before I became a butler at Romana's household, when I was a young man of just twenty-four...

"When I was a young man I met the most beautiful angel a man could behold, she was a few years younger than me but still as pure as the day she was born; her name was Sera Lafomme. She had had many suitors, as one would expect of a beautiful woman, yet she had never met the right man for her. But when we met we fell for each other fast and hard, she was unlike anybody I had ever met before; she was charming, lovely, kind and talented, a pleasure to be with, I felt I was truly blessed. We were married within a year and we couldn't have been happier, I was overwhelmed that a woman so beautiful would love me; but as I realised later, looks can be very deceiving and she changed once I married her. I suppose once she had gotten the taste of passion she wanted more, she didn't want to be with the same man all her life.

"She bore my first child, a beautiful angel of a girl who we named Rosamond. My bliss felt complete on that day and I wanted to spend all my time with that girl, however I had to work almost all of the time to keep my lovely wife in the comfort that she was accustomed to. She told me that I never had time for her, she accused me of caring more for work than I did her and slowly but surely I began to see her as a fallen angel, a devil in disguise. But what could I do? We were bound by marriage and she came from a proud catholic family that were strongly opposed to divorce.

"Later I became aware that my wife wasn't the faithful flower she had pretended to be, that vain lady of the devil had been with man after man, her chastity slain like a snowy dove with a slit upon its throat. She had another child, still beautiful much like her, but not mine; although she claimed that the child was most definitely mine, I knew it wasn't. It had not a single feature that related to mine and although I swore to raise it as my own, I knew it was the spawn of another man.

"The years passed, the children grew and after ten long years of my life she was pronounced to have a form of cancer and just two years to live. She refused the treatments and decided she wished to live the rest of her life without me, so that she might enjoy it to the full. Under the circumstances her parents allowed divorce and she took both my little girl and the son from the other man. So I decided to leave the country, although my children begged me to stay I told them I could not. Not even for my little angel of a girl, because I saw too much of her mother in her and the son was never mine.

"By chance I was reading a newspaper and looking for a job elsewhere and I came across a lady and husband who wished to go to another place, away from the bustle of the city and seek refuge in a new place. This was the job I had been waiting for, the chance to get away and although I had no experience as a butler I applied. No one else was willing to leave for such a remote place and so I got the job almost immediately. The woman had a young girl of eighteen who would remain in the country (this lady was about the same age as me, maybe five years older so she had had children about the same time as me). The young girl was called Damini, do you recognise it Lumina? It's a rare name isn't it, the name of your mother."

Lumina swallowed hard, looking at Sebastian, so far his tale had not applied much to her, but she realised the significance of his application to a lady applying for a butler.

"Continue," she said coldly and Sebastian bowed his head and complied.

"Very well. Damini remained and I travelled to Forget-Me-Not Valley with Romana and her husband, Lucio. I discovered that they had decided to move because Lucio was very ill, something they hadn't told Damini, they had hoped that the countryside would cure him. It did not, as your Grandfather, who you never met, died a year later. Romana was very lonely at this point and I was her only companion as she didn't wish to burden your mother by returning. We passed some years together in the valley, becoming good friends, and I always knew that Romana was off-limits, after all I had known her husband to be a great, kind, brave man.

"Yet, Romana was like no one I had ever met before, she was so different from Sera, she was noble in all ways that mattered and although she had been raised with money she was not materialistic. She was a kind and spirited woman, and although she was not perhaps beautiful in the conventional way, her soul was more beautiful than any in existence. I loved her and I think a part of her loved me too, but we never married and I respected her loyalty to her husband."

Lumina interrupted suddenly, although she had become entranced in the history of her family she already knew much of the things about Romana and was becoming impatient. "What does this have to do with your leaving me and your being here now?"

"I was getting to that, Lumina my dear, patience is a virtue." He said with a twinkle in his eye, she folded her arms boredly and he sighed, continuing his tale.

"Five years later and Romana was finally informed that her daughter, who she had barely kept in touch with, was dead. Her husband too, who we had not been informed she had, was also perished. Yet left behind was a little daughter, a beautiful child of light, her name was Lumina. Romana had never met you before, which is why she never spoke of your parents Lumina, she never met your father. But she took you in, little child that you were you accepted her straight away when she told you that she was your grandmother. I don't think you remember not knowing her, but you asked so many questions of her, questions that no one could answer.

"We wondered, of course, how your parents had died, we always knew their deaths were not as we had been told, a car crash. A car was still in their drive and we assumed that it was their own, but we had been told perhaps they had taken a rental car. Romana always speculated that the murdered may have just left the parents in a rental car after they had been killed, but the rental car was left in their name.

"Now I see you are growing impatient, wondering why I am back here when I left to be with my daughter and my ex-wife's son. Well I found that both of them had grown up with children of their own and at first they barely recognised me, but I told them who I was and they welcomed me into their families for a time. I saw the grandchildren that I never thought I'd meet, found out about my wife's end and saw her grave. I made peace with my past and was ready to remain there for my future. But I saw the things that I had hated about my wife in my child and in my grandchildren and I missed you. I realised that I love you more than my actual children, awful as it is to say, for you are everything pure and all I have left of Romana. But I knew I had abandoned you, I never should have left; but at that time it hurt to be reminded of Romana and I had not seen you as the blessing you were. Besides I had needed to make peace with my daughter and my son that believes that I am his father, I have done that and now I see I need to make peace with you... if you'll let me." He finished and Lumina sat with tears in her eyes, in perfect silence.

Rock watched the scene with keen interest, Lumina was still a mystery even to him and he had no idea whether she would let Sebastian into her life or not. His tale had bought some sympathy to his side, but it had been unfair on Lumina to leave her at such a desperate time.

"You can stay in the Valley, but not in the inn." She said finally, her tears filled eyes surveying him with a look of fragile hope that was twisted with distrust. "You're not a father figure to me anymore, you're... you're a stranger. I'll try to forgive your mistakes, but I can't forget, but I'll be civil if I see you. But don't go out of your way to see me, I'm a stranger to you too."

Sebastian looked sadly at the floor, swallowing hard, it was more than he had hoped for but less than he desired, but what was done, was done and could not be changed. "If that is your decision, but may I ask quickly... what have I missed in your life... in the valley?"

Lumina shook her head, she couldn't speak to this man at the moment, "maybe I'll tell you sometime, but right now I can't, Rock can tell you if he wants. I'm going to bed."

Rock escorted Sebastian from the inn and the silence was broken when Sebastian asked Rock for the tiniest shreds of information.

"Tomorrow I'll do better than that, but right now Lumina needs me. We'll ask Galen if you can stay with him, he'll catch you up on what he can. But lately he's been living in solitude." Rock informed him. Galen was a little shocked by Sebastian's arrival, but he agreed to let him stay nonetheless, knowing Nina would have wanted him to end his loneliness.

* * *

Lumina had sat up crying all night and had only managed to fall asleep when the gentle sun peeked through her window. Rock had laid next to her all night, although in the early hours of the morning he had fallen asleep, and Lumina had drifted off soon after. They finally awoke in the afternoon, but Lumina still refused to leave her bed, for fear she might see Sebastian. Rock had gone around the Valley and explained the events of the previous night to everyone, he felt it would be best if everyone knew of Sebastian's arrival. He then visited Sebastian, who had been informed of the details of Nina's death and nothing more. 

"I'll tell you what you need to know about Lumina's life, but only what everyone else knows, you... you can't know the intimate details." They spent an afternoon, sitting by the sea as Rock reminisced the days gone by and Sebastian listened eagerly.

Lumina meanwhile had managed to arise from bed and dry her eyes, she had then crawled down the stairs for a drink, but she stopped outside Ruby's and Tim's bedroom. She could hear talking and she could have sworn she had heard her name mentioned, curiosity kept her still, listening to the conversation within.

"Poor Lumina, Sebastian shouldn't have turned up now, not when Lumina has just settled down. Even if she's not his blood daughter, she was an adoptive daughter, imagine if we had left Rock!" Ruby's warm voice drifted through the crack in the door.

"I know dear, but what can we do? Sebastian chose to be with his real children and then realised that Lumina was the closest thing to a daughter he had. She may not be his daughter by blood, but she's still his daughter... or grand daughter. Either way, she's family." Tim's deeper voice hit Lumina's ears.

"If only we could have told him about Rock... but we don't want it spread, he's still our son, if not by blood..." Ruby agreed. Lumina frowned, she understood the parts about her, but not the parts about Rock, he was their son... but not by blood? What did that mean, that he wasn't really theirs? Suddenly her eyes widened, it explained everything, why Rock looked completely different, why Rock acted completely different! Rock was adopted, how would he take the news? But they hadn't told him, or anyone, even after all these years. Then Lumina understood, Rock couldn't know, as far as he was concerned he would always be Ruby and Tim's son.

* * *

Rock concluded his tales of the valley's events and Sebastian sat in surprise, so Rock and Lumina were a couple. He had to say he would never have seen that coming, they were opposites in every way. Yet he had seen a strong bond between them the previous night and he knew there was deep love there and that Lumina would be safe with the strange, young lad. They parted and Rock headed back to the inn, unaware of the information that Lumina had just heard. 

He arrived to find her crouched by the fire in his parents room, a thoughtful expression on her face, her eyes lit with a strange look of only partial recognition when she saw him enter, which was suspicious enough to make him worried.

"I just finished telling Sebastian everything." He informed her, convinced that that must be the root of her current expression.

"Yes... of course... good." She said, as though she hadn't truly paid attention to what he had told her. He knew at this point in time nothing to do with Sebastian could be "good".

"Lu... what's up?" He asked, definite concern in his voice.

"Nothing... nothing." She replied, a little too quickly for his liking, but he knew that she wouldn't keep any secrets from him and she would explain what ailed her soon enough. But he could not conceive the mental arguments in Lumina's head, she would never, if up to her, keep a secret from Rock, but this secret, if unleashed, was potentially dangerous. Still, she knew she couldn't hold such a secret with her, not without telling the person it concerned.

"I need to talk to Ruby..." She said softly, her voice was so gentle that it almost caused more panic but Rock replied with an unsure "O-kay."

Lumina rubbed her eyes, the stress of the situation was getting to her, nobody knew the secret but Ruby and Tim and they didn't know that she knew, she therefore decided she needed to tell them. She found them both outside, examining the scenery in the late afternoon; she requested that they headed to the beach, a place where they were less likely to be heard in their conduct. She told them both what she had overheard and they listened with stern, shocked and panicked faces; she assured them that their secret was still safe, but told them that she believed Rock had a right to know.

"You're right, of course," Tim sighed, "we always intended to tell him when he seemed old enough, but it seemed the older he grew the harder it became. It came to the point where we knew he would reject us if we told him."

"But he won't reject you, he loves you, and if he wants me he must also keep you. He'll find out eventually, and if you don't do it soon then you will lose him forever." Lumina informed them wisely, they trusted her judgement and knew that she was correct in this; they therefore planned to meet in the master bedroom later that evening and for all three of them to be there to break the news to Rock. He would soon discover the life changing news that would possibly lead him to run, thankfully they all knew that Lumina would be there to break his fall and to bring him home, as he had once done for her.

* * *


	23. Name

Sorry it's been so long since the last update, I've been **unbelievably **busy. But anyway to make up for it I'm submitting two chapters at once, and I promise chapters 27-28 will be pretty juicy :)

Thanks for those who reviewed even though I'm a terrible writer.

**YukiShinoya444:** Well soon all the pieces should fall into place, like pudding falls into an empty stomach :) Haha does sound like a smart statement, but a confusing one XD

**gothangel12345: **Thanks :) I totally think Rock was adopted in the game, I can't see him being related to Ruby and Tim. But anywho, yep Sebastian's back... dun dun dun etc. ;)

**Awesome Rapidash: **Sebastian somehow escaped my usual mass character killings XD Yeah the final pieces of the puzzle are on their way

* * *

The room seemed darker then, even by the light of the glowing fire, than it had ever seemed in Lumina's eyes. Perhaps it was the cold feeling of doubt, the blindfold of humanity that kept them from knowing how Rock would react; intuition without foresight was useless in this case. They sat in a pensive silence, only making sounds as they heard Rock enter, obviously suspicious of them, but soon he would be devastated. Lumina clasped her small hand around his, wondering if this was the last time he would let her do that, and if it was, would she be able to cope? 

"What's going on?" He asked nervously, and thus was the beginning of the revelations. It started with the simple statement and that was followed with a silence, more terrifying than the silence of death. After the silence that seemed to proceed for hours were the questions, perhaps even more terrible than the quiet, for each simple question sounded more like an accusation. Lumina sat unnoticed and watched the proceedings, bowing her head to the ground, she knew her time for questioning would come and she knew what the questions would be.

"So _who _am I?" He asked his adoptive mother, his breath had quickened as he asked this, he had been Rock Pyrite all of his life and it was not an identity he had ever expecting to lose, now he had lost all sense of self.

"You're Rock honey, you'll always be Rock." Ruby promised him, her voice was delicate yet assuring, but he couldn't be assured.

"Yeah, but I'm not a Pyrite, I'm not Pyrite... who were my real parents?" He asked and Ruby looked to the ground, she took a folder from a cabinet above the fireplace, it looked like an ordinary photo album; in fact for the most part it was. Except for a few pages in the middle, which consisted of a birth certificate for Rock and Rock Pyrite was the name on the certificate.

"Your mother died giving birth to you," she explained sadly, showing him the certificate, "and I adopted you from pretty much the moment you were born, we had been on the waiting list. You were given your current name and we were always your parents..."

"But who was my real mother?" He snapped and Ruby flinched slightly, but she had already braced herself for a bad reaction.

Ruby sat down once again, clasping her hands together and watching her son with tear-filled eyes. "Her name was Terra Flint, we don't know much about her really, except that her husband died a month after you were conceived and she was brave enough to raise you alone. I think her husband had cancer."

"We're so sorry we didn't tell you, son." Tim added apologetically and Rock merely glanced at him.

It was all very sad, Lumina thought, such tragic circumstances for Rock to be brought into, she understood why Ruby hadn't told him; it was far too sad a tale.

"So what's my name, Rock Flint?" He asked, he sat in silence with the name pulsating in his head like a heartbeat, so that was who he should have been. It seemed as though suddenly he had realised Lumina was there and he turned to her. "How long have you known?"

"About an hour or so, I only just overheard them speaking." She told him honestly and he nodded.

"So you made them tell me?" She nodded. "How was that your choice to make? Uh… never mind." Then he was silent for a while.

"I need to be alone," he said eventually, standing from his spot and walking away, Lumina stood to follow but was stopped by Tim.

"No, let him go, he needs to be alone right now." He said and Lumina nodded, she just hoped he wouldn't run.

* * *

Rock walked out into the night, walking as quickly as he could away, those people in there were strangers, all of them, even Lumina; he knew it wasn't her fault, but had he been Rock Flint he would never have known her. 

"_This isn't my life," _he thought miserably, gritting his teeth to stop the tears of a lost boy falling from his eyes. He had just lost his identity in one night and now he didn't know what to do, he wasn't the person he thought he was... he was a murderer.

"_You killed your own mother!" _His mind yelled at him; finally the bitter tears began to fall, in hatred of himself. He wished he could have known his parents, his true parents, how had he not noticed the obvious differences between him and his adoptive parents? He was nothing like them! How could he have been so blind, for such a long time? He kept walking, sometimes cursing himself in his mind and sometimes completely silent, he had no idea what to do or where to go. He supposed he had to return soon, but he had no idea how to face those fakes inside.

He had to wonder though, where would he have lived had he been Rock Flint; would he have been the same person or completely different? He felt utterly betrayed of his true identity, how could his true self have been taken away from him when he hadn't even had a chance to know it? He kicked a stone on the floor, anger searing through his veins, he couldn't stay in the valley anymore, he couldn't live in a place he wasn't meant to; he couldn't live the lie. So he returned briefly to the inn, it was late enough now that he believed they would be asleep; how wrong he was in that. Everyone in his family, real or not, was awake and worried sick about him. Lumina heard him enter the room nearby and listened as he packed a bag, she quickly slipped on her slippers and a nightgown and followed him outside.

"You know, just because they're not your real family, it doesn't mean they don't have real feelings." She pointed out to him from behind, he kept a few paces in front of her and refused to turn around.

"This isn't my real life Lumina, this isn't Rock Flint's life." He told her, marching ahead purposefully; she snorted.

"Maybe not, but this is _your _life; what the hell is in a name? It doesn't matter what could have been or what should have been, _this _is real! Not some questions about some person's life that doesn't even exist." She said incredulously, he spun around and faced her.

"My parents are dead and with them my true identity died, I have to go and find that." He told her, turning around and walking away from her again.

"So what? Your parents are dead, they died a long time ago, Ruby and Tim are your parents!" She yelled, she realised once she had said it how unfeeling it sounded; but it was too late, the words were out.

"So you're saying because my parents are dead they don't matter? You've spent your life since Romana died trying to find who murdered your parents, don't tell me your past doesn't matter!" He shouted back, and she was silenced, not only because he had a point, but because she didn't know the person in front of her. He wasn't speaking like Rock, he wasn't acting like Rock, he wasn't the carefree person who tried to act as unintelligent as possible, but she had always known this smart person lay beneath; now she had met him she didn't like him – he was acting like Rock Flint, not Rock Pyrite.

"You're not Rock Flint," she told him eventually. "You're Rock Pyrite!"

"No, I was Rock Flint first, this is a fake life!"

"No, what you're running away for is a fake life, this is what's real. It doesn't matter about Rock Flint, you're not him! You've been Rock Pyrite... _my _Rock all your life, why isn't he good enough now?" She asked, her voice now to the pitch of begging, crystal tears forming in her eyes. She ran ahead of him and stood in front to block his way, her arms spread out and a determined look on her face.

"Get out of my way," he said coldly and her eyes widened; this definitely was not her Rock.

"So what, you're just planning to run away? You can't just leave your life!" She shouted tearfully, still standing stubbornly and obstructing his path.

"You ran, why shouldn't I?" He said bitterly and she frowned, dropping her hands to her sides. Suddenly everything seemed to slow and she heard words echoed in her head that she hadn't heard in a long time. These words triggered a memory that she had long forgotten and had been lost for such a long time. It felt as though someone was blowing dust off a book, the chronicles of her life and now she could read the writing there. _"Love has wings..."_

_She was four years old and was playing beneath a tree, it was a bright day and the sun shone through the branches of the trees in such a way that the floor was dappled with light. It was summer and she was chasing butterflies and picking flowers, grinning all the while and looking for her mother, just to check she was watching. She giggled when she saw her mother watching, happy of the attention and feeling a certain amount of pride in how close she came to snatching up a butterfly. Eventually her moist hand came down upon the wings of a brown butterfly, with beautiful red spots on its velvet wings. She beamed proudly at her catch, intending to keep hold of this treasure to show her mother; the warm, golden eyes of her mother saw the struggling creature in her daughter's small hand and shook her head._

"_No, you mustn't do that, you will kill it." The mother informed the child, who's likewise golden eyes widened in curiosity; innocence had made it so that "kill" was not a word in her vocabulary. "Let it go,"_

"_But..." she protested, holding the wing of her prize and looking innocently up at her mother, unwilling to let it go._

"_Do you love this butterfly?" Her mother asked calmly, watching her daughter carefully, with the eyes of both a mother and a teacher. The girl looked at the small, winged insect in her hand, lying still as it had given up the struggle; she beamed at it proudly and then focused her gaze on her mother and nodded. The woman smiled, when she did this the light seemed to hit her brightly and she shone, the purest image of warmth and comfort; Lumina could almost smell her in her memory, like soft vanilla and garden flowers, just like summer._

"_Darling, love has wings." She said simply and the child responded by cocking her head. The mother explained her wisdom: "if you love something... or someone, you must let it go if it wishes to. Let it fly away."_

_The girl frowned, only partially understanding. "But I like it, I'm happy." She protested, such is the child-like view of a situation, they live in a world that revolves around themselves, yet it is not selfishness, it is merely purity and newness of mind. By her understanding, if she loved the butterfly then it too must love her._

"_Yes dear you may be happy, but to love something is to put its happiness before your own, as long as it is happy, you will be happy for it. If the butterfly wishes to be free and you love it, then you will let it free." The mother explained, her wisdom-filled eyes hovering over the poor creature, lying limp in her daughters hand. The daughter nodded, finally understanding enough of her mother's words to know what she had to do. She unclasped her hands and watched with unselfish joy as the butterfly leapt into the air, dancing once again with freedom and hovering around her head a little._

"_Mommy, what if I never see it again?" She asked, her eyes wide with wondering._

"_If it loves you too it will return one day, look as it dances around you, you are not holding it, but it is still with you. Even if it doesn't return, you trust it enough to know it will be happy, and if it is happy, you are happy." She told the innocent child, who nodded, again not understanding fully all of her mothers words, yet knowing that her mother knew everything and so she must be right._

Lumina floated out of her memory, shutting her eyes to let the tears drip down her cheek, it had seemed like a long time had passed yet truly it had only been a minute or two. She smiled softly, knowing exactly what she had to say, and knowing that her mother's memory had given her the courage to say it.

"Goodbye," she told him, giving him a slight hug and stepping out of his way.

"You're letting me go?" He asked and she nodded.

"I don't want you to, but I trust you enough to know that you'll be safe and I hope you'll return. But I want you to be happy, so if this makes you happy, you need to go." She said softly, before adding. "I wish you wouldn't and I'll miss you."

"But you understand why I have to do this?" He asked hopefully, although he didn't really see her as real anymore he still wanted her to be okay with his leaving; she shook her head.

"No, but I trust that you understand why – and that's all that matters." She said gently and he nodded gratefully. He then turned and walked into the distance and she watched him go, and she hoped that one day he would come back to her.

* * *

She returned to the inn with an empty feeling inside, yet she couldn't let more tears from her eyes, whether she wanted to or not. She sat on her bed, with her arms wrapped around her, she had said goodbye to Rock Flint, but she had no idea where Rock Pyrite was, she hoped he was somewhere inside and that he would return, she didn't care if she'd let Rock Flint go for good. But what would she tell Ruby and Tim? She would have to say she didn't hear him leave, she couldn't say that she'd let him go, they might not understand; but she hoped they wouldn't look for him. Although she knew she had done the right thing, yet she didn't know if he'd come back, and if he didn't, what she would do without him. She lay down in bed on her side and shut her eyes tightly, unable to shut out the contradictive voices in her head, she knew she would lie sleepless for a long time. 

A day passed, questions had been asked and she had answered that she knew just as much as Tim and Ruby and of course had replied that she was devastated. She had had enough people asking what she planned to do next, but she had no reply for them, these were the same people that had asked if she was okay, again no reply was uttered from her lips. She kept her stony attitude during the day, never letting her guard down and acting as though nothing affected her, this made people think she didn't care – if only they could see her at night. She would sit up most of the night and cry, whispering his name and wondering if he could hear her wherever he was, hoping that she might be able to call him back.

The valley changed dramatically over the first two days after his departure, it seemed as though as soon as he left that he was replaced. The family that had bought the little pink house finally moved in, they were a family of three called the Fords. There was the strange, bespectacled man called Grant who Lumina had seen before, he was definitely one of those people whose work was their life. Sasha was his wife, a tall woman with sleek, chestnut hair and dark reddish-brown eyes, she was rather a daunting woman who seemed a little false, but not unbearable. They had a little child, obviously rather spoilt, called Kate, she was a tomboyish character with eyes that seemed to flash red, but she seemed amiable enough. There was a buzz when they first entered the neighbourhood, everyone wanted to meet them and talk with them, but by the second day they were old news and already part of the neighbourhood.

* * *

Rock arrived at Mineral town, always the first stop of the journey of one who intended to leave the Valley, whether for ever or for a brief period. He had no idea how long he would be gone for, until he found himself, he supposed, but how long would that take? Would he try to establish Rock Flint and become a new person, or could he try and accept himself as Rock Pyrite? He had no idea, but he needed sometime away for definite. 

He first arrived at the inn and bought a room, he found himself comparing it to the inn back in the valley, he had been here before of course, and he gave Doug a grin. Doug greeted him and made him a drink on the house, eager to listen to Rock's news, and so he passed his first evening, explaining the past rather than sorting out the future, yet as he explained he began to wonder, did the two coincide?

"It all comes down to what you value," Doug said, "do you value who you are... or I guess who you were if you denounce that person now... or do you value who you were supposed to be?"

"I don't know, I just don't think this should be my life."

"Why not?" Doug asked and Rock sighed.

"Because I was born Rock Flint and was lied to all of my life," he said bitterly, clenching his fists, his eyes on the table. Doug watched him carefully, he took a sip from his mug of coffee and then coughed to get the boys attention.

"Why does that matter? Were you born a Flint or a Pyrite you'd still be you, same mind, same blood, you're not a different person. You're the same in a different place."

Rock nodded, the doubt was not cleared, but at least he had decided to delay his departure from Mineral Town, he had no idea why, he thought it might just be Doug's company which he enjoyed so much.

* * *

The emptiness was like ice, an eternal ice age in her stomach, cold and barren; then there was the pain with seared like a heated needle stabbed into skin, burning the tender flesh within. Everyday the tears would fall from Lumina's eyes, and everyday she would wipe them away and go about her life, promising she would be strong. But she wondered if she had made a mistake, should she have cried? Should she have refused to let him leave and held onto him, even when he needed to go? 

That would have been wrong; it would have been selfish not to let him do whatever he had to do. The bottom line was, she had to trust him enough to understand that he needed this, even though she didn't completely understand why. Whenever she wondered where he was she felt numb, she tried to convince herself that he'd only be gone a week, but it could be longer, or maybe forever. But she had to believe he would come back, otherwise she would break down and she wasn't strong enough to let him go; he wasn't a butterfly that she had known for five minutes – she loved him.

She would have whispered to him, to wherever he was "fix me", but how could she tell him she was broken? That he was the one who had broken her and only he had the art to fix her, so she lay collecting dust, useless.

* * *

Rock stayed in the inn, he had missed the people in Mineral town more than he had realised; they were all so much more sociable than the people of the valley. The valley people were content to live their lives in partial solitude, an acknowledging nod and an occasional harvest festival was enough for them. But the townsfolk of Mineral town held plenty of festivals and went out drinking together often; he enjoyed the company of the many other young men. But his mind was on his identity, or rather, the lack of it. He wasn't sure exactly who he was or if that person was supposed to live in the humble valley, was he ever supposed to meet these people? 

He felt soothed by the presence of these people, ones who would accept whoever he chose to be now, rather than wishing for the person he used to be. Doug was the only one to remind him of his past and the reasons he should return; but as far as Rock was concerned there was no reason to return, save one: Lumina. She was the shimmering light of his life and when she wasn't there that light went out, his life lacked meaning; but at least he didn't believe he had the wrong meaning. Still he felt as though he were stuck in an eternal eclipse, there was no light in his life, yet he could see the blinding ring of light far off, and knew it was in his grasp, but he knew he would be sacrificing his identity for her; and she would never want him to do that. But at that point in time returning was not even an option, he needed to do some major soul-searching.


	24. Welcome Home

Well I decided to submit two chapters this time, partly because I don't know when I'm gonna get around to updating for a while, partly because I feel like I've been mean, and also because I have issues with the number 23 :S

So enjoy :)

* * *

The rays of soft sunlight trickled into the room of the inn and the songbirds cheerily sung their morning melody, Rock pulled the soft, cotton sheets over his head, trying to get back to sleep. His dreams had been haunted by Lumina once again, he kept thinking she was in trouble and that he had to save her, but each time he was unable to. He rubbed his eyes, yawning and deciding to get up, he slipped on some shoes and headed to the bottom floor of the inn. Only Doug was in there, quickly making breakfast for anyone who decided they were too lazy to cook, and for the few residents of the inn.

"Good morning," he greeted cheerfully, adding the finishing touches to a plate of scrambled egg, that finishing touch was a small sprig of parsley.

"If you say so," Rock replied moodily, taking the scrambled egg from the side that Doug had just finished making.

"What's up with you?" Doug asked, frowning at the sight of his egg masterpiece being ruined before his eyes as Rock devoured it.

"Nightmares," he mumbled between mouthfuls and Doug nodded knowingly, he knew the homesickness was getting to Rock, whether he would admit it or not.

"So are you finally ready to realise that you are the same person you have always been, to put away your selfish anger at your parents and realise that they took you off the streets and raised you as though you were their own?" He asked hopefully and Rock simply shrugged.

"Look I know you think the nightmares mean something," Rock said, placing his finished plate on the side and looking at Doug with serious eyes. "But they really don't, they're just stupid, bad dreams."

"What did you dream about?" Doug demanded and Rock went silent, Doug nodded knowingly. "You dreamt about Lumina, didn't you?"

Rock nodded reluctantly and Doug took a seat opposite him on the table, holding a mug of coffee in his hand.

"Can't you see that it doesn't matter who you were? Can't you go back?" Doug asked and Rock sighed, leaning his head on his hand.

"You don't understand..."

"Obviously not," Doug interrupted. "Why don't you clear things up for me?"

"You don't know what it's like, to wake up one person and then find out later that you were never that person; that you've been lied to."

"Lied to for your own good," Doug pointed out. "It doesn't change who you are, what you've done or the fact that people love you. Running away doesn't make you a different person, like it or not you're Rock Pyrite; but Ruby and Tim are your parents."

"But they're not; they're not my real parents!" He protested and Doug sighed.

"So you consider the people who never met you, never raised you and never loved you your parents? You choose them over the people who have fed you, clothed you and taken care of you for your entire life, even though they needn't have any obligation to?" He asked incredulously and Rock looked at the floor, he was silent for a minute.

"I've made a mistake..." he said softly and Doug smiled, he had done well.

"So you're going to return?"

"Tomorrow," Rock replied and Doug raised an eyebrow. "Today I need to brace myself, I have a lot of people to apologise to."

"Just three in fact, but they do need to be pretty big apologies. I'd recommend you sit at the beach for a while and think – maybe buy them all something from the shop..." Doug suggested. "By the way, Nami's and Gustafa's wedding is in two days, I would recommend buying them something too… News travels fast."

Rock smiled in surprise and nodded, he then hurried to the shop.

* * *

Lumina sat by the warmth of a fire in the master bedroom of the inn, she watched the golden, flickering flames wave majestically; they cast dark shadows on the wall as the curtains were shut to block out all light. Lumina had wanted to shut the world out for a day, it was cold outside and she was far too depressed to bother make an appearance, she would much rather shelter away. 

Yet this room seemed far too haunting to her now, in her mind she could see the ghosts of the past; this was the place that they had lost Rock. She blamed herself for everyone's misery; after all, it had been her idea to tell him. Even though Ruby and Tim had assured her it was better he found out sooner rather than later, she couldn't help feeling guilty. She might have lost them a son.

She shuddered involuntarily, not only did her guilt strike her, her own feelings stung. She was beginning to wonder if he would even come back, or maybe she should just move on and re-enter the outside world. But moving on was difficult, especially when you are as frozen with guilt as she was; besides, how could she know if he would ever come back? What if he came back to find her gone? Leaving was not an option, because then she would have truly lost him.

A hard rap on the door sounded that someone wished to break through the barrier that protected her from the outside world; reluctantly she slid off the soft chair and made her way to the door. She opened it to find Takakura standing there, she frowned and shallow creases formed by her small mouth. This was a strange sight indeed, Takakura stood by the door, dressed in his usual farm rags, but a queer look upon his face.

"Has Sebastian hurt you?" He asked in a desperate voice, his dark eyes seemed wild; they shocked Lumina briefly from her depression.

"No... Why would he have? Tak... what's wrong?" She asked worriedly, she took a step closer and he took a step back, he seemed nervous somehow.

"I had... I thought he had come to hurt you, he can't be trusted he..."

"Calm down, you honestly believe he would hurt me?" She asked with wide, innocent eyes. Takakura turned his head to the side, he stood frozen in the spot.

"What reason could someone possibly have to kill a young girl, especially one he has known for years and years?" She tried again, her voice was level and reasoning, even though slight panic had her pained heart beating quickly. He looked at her sharply, his eyes surveying her face too intensely, she shifted under the heat of his fiery gaze.

"A man can have his reasons to do anything, every man has his price but some are so mad that they need no reason – I want to protect you from these men." He said darkly, before he turned and ran. She sat on the chair again, haunted by the strangeness of Takakura's speech, how could he honestly think Sebastian would harm her? Still she smiled at his concern and his protection of her, she had no idea he had such paternal feelings towards her, perhaps the fact that Jack had once loved her gave him reason to love her in a familial way.

She was now shaken up by Takakura's strange behaviour, she could not let herself return to the warm, but dark depression of the fire, instead she stood and headed to Blue bar.

* * *

Rock smiled at the small gift he had bought for Nami and Gustafa, it wasn't anything much, but in the valley no one expected big gifts. It was a small music box and it played a sweet little melody that he wasn't sure he knew the name of, yet he recognised it. He now sat on the beach, in front of the rolling waves which were playing games with each other to see who could climb the furthest up the beach. He lay down, his back resting in the soft sand, he gazed up at the cloudless sky. He missed her; he missed everything about Lumina right now. He wasn't exactly sure by what wisdom she had let him go, but she had done the right thing. Although he intended to return home, he had needed the time away. 

"_Absence makes the heart grow fonder," _he thought, smiling as he imagined Lumina's face. He knew every single curve, every single pore of her perfect, angelic face. A part of him was excited to be going back, that was the part that loved Lumina more than anything else in the world, but the part that was confused, the part that was Rock Flint, told him that he would be living a lie.

"_Better to live a lie, than to live in pain," _he told himself, where exactly were these sayings coming from? He must have spent far too much time with Doug, or was that Lumina's wise voice echoing through his head.

"_I miss you," _her voice seemed to echo in his head, exactly the same tone she would use, filled with loneliness and pain.

"I miss you too," he said aloud, wishing that she could hear him. "I'm coming home."

* * *

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but as Lumina sat on one of the bar stools at Blue bar she could swear she head Rock's voice echoing in her head. 

"_I'm coming home,"_ it promised and she smiled.

"You'd better," she whispered.

"I'd better what?" Jack asked in confusion, he had been helping behind the bar while Muffy was nowhere to be seen, apparently she was taking a nap.

"It's nothing, I... could I have another Cherry pink please?" She asked innocently, she's already had one drink, but not enough to get her by any means drunk.

"Of course, but I'd suggest this should be your last drink." He said with an eyebrow raised and she nodded, he handed her a drink and then sat next to her, watching her with analysing eyes.

"Whatever you want to know, you can just ask," she told him, she knew that look only too well.

"I forget how well you know me," he said sheepishly, softening his intense gaze and simply studying her golden eyes. She smiled, her eyes meeting his, ready to accept a question. "Is Rock coming back?"

Stinging, the question hurt slightly. She bowed her head, her eyes darting towards the brightly coloured drink, breaking the connection of their eyes. "What answer can I give in a world where everything is uncertain?"

"That doesn't answer the question."

"I don't know, I hope that he is and I think he will, but I could never be sure." She said softly, her voice stony, showing none of the emotion that was cutting through her insides.

"When you left, I knew you would be back," he said, still watching her. Her eyes darted up to meet his, a confused expression on her face. Her lips were parted in question and her head cocked to the side. "Don't ask me how I knew, I figured it was because we had some bond, that I could hear you."

"Hear me?" she asked dubiously and he nodded, "how?"

"I'm not sure, I could almost hear your voice though... do you hear him?"

"Everyday," she said, now her voice was thick with emotion and her eyes filled with tears.

"Then there's your answer, he'll be back." Jack promised and she smiled at him.

They sat in amiable silence for a few moments, eyes surveying each other briefly and turning away before turning back to examine. The air was heavy with unanswered questions and the craving of knowledge.

"Do you love him?" Jack asked eventually, the question that had been burning within him for so long. She turned to him silently, studying him once again, her mind still flashing memories of their past at her.

"Yes," she nodded, "but I didn't, not before me and you were over."

He stood, smiling that his question was answered. He could have guessed at the answer and been perfectly correct, but he had to check. "Yes you did, you've loved him since the day Romana died." He then left, quickly, there were no other customers and he decided he could now close the bar. She could have followed him, but there was no need, although her mind still lingered over what he had said, she had never believed it to be true, and yet... maybe it could be.

* * *

When you leave a place that you have been for a long time, a place that you have loved and have called your home, you can be filled with that feeling of nostalgia. It's a feeling that tells you that you shouldn't be leaving, that you should not leave your roots and that you'll miss the place so much. Then there's the feeling of adventure, you're excited about broadening your horizons, meeting new people and starting fresh. Sometimes you need to turn over a new leaf, to be someone else, because in a place where no one knows you, you can be whoever you want to be. 

But if you let yourself become someone new, you can forget who you were, you can lose yourself in your new person and leave that old person behind, leaving behind a part of yourself.

But in a place where you have already known, a place that you haven't been in for long, it's easier to let go, you can think of the time you've spent you can cherish that, and let that place become a part of your memory. Perhaps you have already met these people before, they help you to remain who you are, but still to change slightly, because they accept that. When you leave that place you know you're going home, because everyone has a place in their heart that they consider a home, no matter what the reason.

Rock was leaving a place that had been a merely a home away from home and now he was truly going back. He had mixed feelings, but happiness was the dominant feeling that spurred him to take courage by the hand and let it lead him home. The air was fresh and crisp for a autumn's day and a soft breeze ruffled his blonde hair. His deep brown eyes surveyed the surroundings as he prepared to leave, he had already said goodbye to everyone the previous night, which allowed him to leave freely that day.

Doug stood next to him as they both blinked in the morning sun, standing by the path that would soon lead him back to the Valley. The lion-like man beamed at Rock with his warm brown eyes, pulling him into a rough hug that left him breathless.

"I'm going to miss you lad," he said genuinely, ruffling Rock's hair affectionately. Rock grinned back, a great depth of gratitude reflected in his deep mahogany eyes.

"Me too, thanks a lot Doug... Do... do you think they'll be angry?" He checked sheepishly and Doug bellowed loudly.

"Son, I think anger is the least of your troubles. I think hurt is your main worry, plus I think they'll have been building emotional walls you'll have to knock down. You'll also have to rebuild at lot of trust." Doug told him honestly and Rock gulped, in other words, he'd made a mess and he now had to sort it out.

"Right... well thanks. I'll be seeing you." Rock smiled and turned into the sun, following the gravel path through to the serene Valley, a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Now he felt that the extra stack of pancakes might have been too much.

* * *

The sun seemed almost blinding on that bright but cool fall day, but the valley was always cool in the fall that even the sun's blazing rays couldn't warm the icy ground. Lumina walked through the thick blanket of leaves towards Gustafa's yurt, feeling them crunching beneath the heavy boots she was wearing. She knocked hard upon the rainbow door and before long it opened invitingly. Gustafa wasn't one to reject a visitor so she walked in without an invitation. 

"Gustafa?" She questioned, stepping into the heavily scented hut that made her eyes water slightly. The bearded musician brought her into a warm hug before handing her some herbal tea and gesturing for her to sit down near the fire somewhere. "I'm here to ask about the wedding, Nami says that you haven't planned it much, but you're having it right here... right?"

"Sure,"

"So what are you wearing?" She asked and he pointed down at the clothes he was wearing. She sighed and then referred him to Grant, the new guy in town who owned a suit that he might borrow.

Next she visited Nami, finding her holding a beautiful white wedding dress doubtfully. "I'm not wearing this," the redhead announced.

"Oh yes you are," Lumina informed her, looking jealously at the long, silky white dress. Nami frowned and continued to look doubtful but when Lumina promised she looked beautiful a slight spark of interest darted through her stony eyes before it was gone, but Lumina had seen it.

"Let's find you a nice clip to go with that," she offered and the slightest shadow of a smile appeared on Nami's face, deep down she was a typical girl.

When Lumina was done dealing with the happy couple it was mid afternoon, meaning that in the autumn it was already getting darker. She let out a long sigh, her heart still ached, especially with the fact that she would be alone for the wedding. But she knew she had to be brave, letting go would not help her, besides isn't that what her mother had always told her.

"_Be brave my dear, this world holds a lot of pain for you, but fortune will always favour the brave. You're my little spark, and you will always have courage..." _Lumina touched the golden locket that hung by her neck, the one that seemed to be glued shut and she had never opened.

"I miss you mommy," she said, choking back tears that threatened to come pouring down like a waterfall. "But I'll be brave... for you."

"And even if you feel scared, I'll be there, because I don't plan to let you down again." A familiar voice sounded in the silence, like the ringing of a bell, she turned to see the face that she had missed. It was illuminated by the last of the sunlight and his hair shone like gold, like a beacon of hope.

"Is that a promise?" She asked, her voice filled with emotion and her eyes filling with tears she couldn't prevent.

"If you'll take me back, I haven't exactly been deserving of the best boyfriend award." He said guiltily, taking a step closer to her.

She nodded, bowing her head to gaze at the ground. "No you haven't, but you'll have to make it up to me."

"Yeah... I'm sorry," he said honestly, walking towards her with a sheepish smile on his face and she couldn't stay upset. She fell into his arms and was filled with comfort as he held her. The pain was melting away like butter on a hot pan, as she let her scolding tears fall onto his woolly jacket. He felt guilty, but now with his fragile girl in his arms he didn't know how he had ever let her go, and he knew he couldn't again. He had no idea where she'd found the strength to let him go, but he knew how strong she was, so how could he have any doubt?

"Welcome home," she whispered, looking up into his eyes, he stroked her soft hair and nodded.

"Thank you, but I have a lot of making up to do,"

"Yeah, you do." She told him, letting go and pointing towards the inn. "Go, apologise and I'll see you later, we have plenty of time, because you're not leaving again."

Rock walked slowly to the inn, he was definitely worried about seeing his adoptive mother and father again... but he didn't want to call them his adoptive parents, they were his true parents.

"Mom?" he said softly as he pushed open the door. Ruby walked over to him and took him into a hug immediately. "I'm so sorry."

"I know sweetie, so am I. You're forgiven if you forgive me," she said, holding him tightly and rocking him slowly.

"Of course mom, I love you." He told her and she smiled, kissing him on the head softly, he'd always be _her _little boy.

She then called to Tim who arrived almost immediately, clapping his son on the back and forgiving him immediately, because that's what families do. Forgiveness may be difficult sometimes, most of the time in fact, but it's free and it's uplifting for both the forgiver and the forgiven. Rock had found himself at home in the comforting arms of those he loved, and they had forgiven him almost immediately. He knew it would take a while for the same strong trust to build up again, but he'd strive to do right until it was. He was glad to be home.

* * *

**Well next chapter is gonna be kinda peaceful and lovey dovey, but I assure you it's the calm before the storm...**


	25. For Lovers

I'm **so** sorry that it's been so long since my last update, I've been unnaturally busy... It's no excuse though...

Well I'm sorry to say to all those of you who hate all the fluffy stuff, but this is gonna be a pretty corny, fluffy chapter, but it's pretty much a recap of where all of the couples are at now.

But I swear to you, next chapter is the beginning of all the intense stuff, so please tune in for that :)

Thank you reviewers!! As per usual you guys are amazing, and I still love all your feedback :)

**Kairi Tsubasa: **Yeah, I think a lot of us realise we don't know ourselves or our lives as well as we thought we did, but Rock did manage to make it back in the end. Thanks for the review :)

**Chicken Yuki: **Ooh wow, you wrote such a lot, and reviewed both chapters, thank you :) You pick up on things well, there is a little more to Jack's break up with Lumina than he would have her believe... Haha, I wouldn't blame you for wanting to punch Doug, but I think he's one of those people I'd like to have in my life, seems kind of dependable... but that's just me. Mostly Rock is only a jerk when Lumina's not in control of him, he only really became less jerky for her. Hahah I really miss the Muku-muku running gag too, do you think there's a chance we could bring it back with a vengence? Should I just change my story and make him the murderer?

**Vook: **Yeaah I was breaking the fourth wall, though I'm silly enough to not know what that is. Maybe I've been watching too many corny sitcoms, but they're not Rock's thoughts. Ahh thank you for liking Lumina's memory, I loved writing things from the point of view of a child :) Cheers for the review

**YukiShinoya444: **Indubidably ;) Let's see if you're right. Thanks for the review. P to the U to the D-D ING!

**frozenmoogle: **Why thank you, and no worries for not reviewing, I haven't been updating, so I'd be a hyprocrit if I said anything about that ;) Well I wanted to include the title a little, even if it was a tad corny :) But thanks for reviewing the last chapter!

**Awesome Rapidash: **Why thank you, I hope I didn't overdo Rock's reaction, but I haven't ever known anyone who found out they were adopted, or how they'd react... Hopefully the few chapters after this one'll be good.

**like red on a rose: **Haha... I'm confused... only some writers don't start to annoy you with fluffyness, and I'm not one of them? I think I get what you mean, and thank you. Hope I'm not being too gooey, fuzzy and annoying, thanks for the review :)

**MyShadowsThorn: **Thanks, I'm glad I didn't overdo it too much, I seem to have a habit of being a little overdramatic, and lovey dovey, one time I'm gonna write a fiction with minimum fluff... it's be quite unfluffy... so bald... Thanks again ;)

**gothangel12345: **When you're right, you're right. I've gotta say these people are gonna have quite strange destinies, but I hope this chapter reviews all of the relationships. Thank you :)

Now I'm going to warn all of you that this chapter is mostly filler, my apologies, but because of that I'm also gonna submit another chapter, because it's only fair... So thanks guys!

* * *

Nami stood transfixed, gazing at her reflection in the mirror, which was staring coolly back at her. 

"_This isn't you," _her mind told her and she agreed whole heartedly. The white dress trailed down onto the floor like a sheet of snow which contrasted with her blood hued hair and complimented her sea blue eyes. _"Maybe that's okay... for today."_

A small smile appeared on her face, her lips that were pale from the cold, curving slightly. Her eyes trailed along the desk until it found two shining clips that Muffy had lent to her, they were merely crystal but they shimmered like diamonds. She reached over for them, her lip curving to the side as she considered them; she continued to look in the mirror as she clipped them to her hair. They shone as though her hair had dew drops caught in its ruffled mass; she took her hand away from where she'd placed the clip, deciding that she did like them.

"Nami?" Lumina asked, walking into the room and smiling proudly when she saw her. Nami wrapped her arms around herself, as though nervous of what Lumina would think, but the bright look on the brunettes face told her that she looked acceptable. "You look beautiful."

"I look like an ice cream," Nami stated with a false frown, looking sceptically down at the dress. Lumina giggled, finally able to see right through Nami's stony façade. This made the red head blush with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment that she had been caught out. "Do you think Gustafa will like it?" She seemed vulnerable as she said it and Lumina smiled.

"Of course he will, but I came to tell you that the wedding ceremony is due to start, so hurry up."

Nami nodded, taking one last glance in the full-length mirror before following Lumina out of the inn.

The autumn leaves were still dancing their final dance in the cool breeze as they walked out, Nami watched them with a small smile and Lumina glanced at her to follow. They walked quickly to the small forest of the valley and found most of the town already gathered there. Lumina looked down at her own dress, Nami hadn't been too worried about what her bridesmaids wore, except that they wore blue. Lumina's was silky ocean blue in colour and it reached just below her knees, it was sleek and not frilly, so she far preferred it to the dress she had had to wear at Celia's wedding.

Lumina walked over to greet Rock, who was dressed rather the same as usual, but he had polished the peace symbol he was accustomed to wear sometimes.

"Hey sweetie, is the bride ready?" Rock asked, pecking her on the cheek.

"Of course, it's Nami, she may be a wanderer with unpredictable timings, but she's never late for important events." Lumina said brightly, leaning into Rock's embrace.

Gustafa was dressed in a suit, a rare sight that Lumina was keen to take in, and he stood waiting for Nami to enter. Lumina could see Nami and Tim walking arm in arm, since he was giving her away, they were whispering and she could see that Nami was nervous.

"I don't think I'm ready for this," Nami said nervously and Tim patted her on the arm.

"Nami, you love this man, you may be a wanderer, but now you have someone to wander with." He told her and she smiled.

"Yeah... yeah... I can do this." She told herself, walking up and blushing beneath Gustafa's gaze. For once he wasn't wearing his strange purple shades that seemed to allow him to see the world in rose colour, and his bright blue eyes shone like sapphires.

He nodded at his fiancée and she smiled gently back, taking the hand that he offered her, ready for the ceremony to begin.

"I love you," Nami told Gustafa after all of the "I dos" and the ceremony was over. He kissed her snowy white cheek and then stroked her bright hair.

"Likewise, you look beautiful." He told her and she beamed, practically radiating light from her happiness. Then Griffin began to play a gentle tune on his guitar while Muffy sang and the wedding dance began. Gustafa wrapped his arms around Nami and pulled her close, swaying to the gentle beat. They had finally found everything they had ever wanted in each other and they never wanted to let go.

They were silent as they danced, but they didn't need words, they never had, they were content simply to hold on tight to each other. The music was beautiful and love seemed to beam off of everyone, filling them with a warm happiness even though the autumn air was cold.

"Now that we're married, will we still have adventures?" Nami asked worriedly, biting her lip as she looked into the crystal blue eyes of her husband.

"Our life will always be one big adventure and yes, I plan to have many adventures with you." He promised, stroking her cheek gently with a finger.

"Good... will we be boring?" She asked and he snorted, earning himself a small scowl.

"You could never be boring, scary yes, but boring, no." He joked and she shoved him gently. She scowled and came up with a quick retort.

"Well you're a psycho!"

"Yup, and you married me." He smiled and even she couldn't help a twitch of her lips back, she then looked at the ground and the comfortable silence was resumed.

"When are _we _going to get married?" Lumina demanded and Rock paled, looking at her with wide brown eyes.

"Uh..." He murmured, beginning to sweat slightly.

"Don't panic, I'm not asking for a proposition! But one day... right?" She asked hopefully and he grinned.

"I'd be crazy to let you go Lu, of course one day, when we're both ready." He promised and she looked doubtful.

"Sometime before I'm sixty, right?" She checked and he laughed.

"Definitely before you're eighty..."

"Rock!"

"Before you're thirty..." He suggested and she frowned again. "How about we see how it goes...?"

She rolled her eyes and then rested her chin on his shoulder as he held her. "I know you won't be able to resist soon," she whispered and he swallowed hard, he knew she was right. They continued to dance to the slow beat, unaware of the other couples, to them they were the only two in the world, even though the married couple should be centre stage.

"I love you..." she whispered and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I love you too," he replied, returning the kiss gently, knowing he could never love anyone else more than the beautiful creature in front of him.

Marlin and Celia sat on a tree stump next to each other, watching the colours twirling of the other couples dancing. Marlin wasn't much of a dancer and if Celia was honest, nor was she, they were both happy to sit out and watch, perhaps admiring the scenery and the plants.

"I'm so glad everyone is finding love," she told him happily and he smiled at his caring wife. She had slowly managed to bring out the softer side of him, now he was still a little stony, but nowhere near so distant.

"Yes, I think we're ready to take the next step," he told her and she looked at him, running his words through her head.

"What is the next step honey?" She asked in confusion and he smiled, wrapping his arm around her.

"Children, a house of our own... a family." He told her and she beamed, that was exactly what she had always wanted. Ever since she had been a young girl playing "mommies and daddies" she had wanted to be a mother and to have a proper family.

"I can't wait, are we ready?" She asked; her grey eyes wide with excitement.

"I think we're ready for anything, together." He said honestly, ever since they had been together he had felt as though he could achieve more and more.

"I think you're right sweetie," she agreed, placing a chaste kiss on his lips, her caring eyes radiating with pride. "I love you,"

"I'll love you forever," he promised and she smiled, she knew it was a promise he wouldn't break.

"Jack, don't you like dancing?" Muffy asked, her large green eyes watching him as she stood over him in his sitting position on a stump.

"I..." Jack opened his mouth, but was unable to think of an excuse. Somehow he didn't feel that slow dancing felt right at that time, but he had no idea why. "I'm more of a fast dancer."

"Okay, well once I'm done singing the next number when I take over from Griffin again for a bit, I'll ask him to play a fast number." She told him jovially.

"_Great," _he thought sarcastically, he should have known Muffy wasn't easily fazed. "Sure," he said, trying to sound enthusiastic but failing miserably.

"What's up?" Muffy asked, sitting down next to him and placing a hand on his back. He sometimes forgot exactly how intuitive his pretty girlfriend was.

"You're too good at that," he told her and she smiled.

"Hey, I wasn't in the queue when they were giving out brains, I had to go somewhere." She giggled and he smiled slightly, she was really good at brightening his spirits… but he didn't love her. His eyes darted unwillingly across the room towards Lumina and Rock who were dancing closely, he then looked away sadly. Muffy had caught the glance but not where it was directed, she nodded knowingly.

"I know you don't love me, Jack." She told him honestly and he looked up, he appreciated her ability to see the honest truth and accept it.

"No... I'm sorry, I don't."

"Maybe one day, but... do you still love her?" She asked, gesturing towards Lumina.

"No," he denied it, but sometimes he wondered if he did. She nodded and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"I'll be back, I have a song to sing... cheer up." She said before turning away to sing with Griffin.

"You still miss her," Sebastian stated as he took a seat next to Galen on a hard rock.

"I'll never stop, you too I suppose?" He replied, talking about Romana.

"She was never really mine... but yes, I miss her." Sebastian agreed and Galen nodded, looking down at the floor.

"Well they've found their peace and maybe one day we'll find ours."

"Maybe..."

"Erm... the weather's nice..." Vesta commented to the strange looking artist, who was gazing at the flowers.

"Yes, nothing is more beautiful than a glorious autumn day when the golden leaves flutter down from the sleepy trees." Cody replied appreciatively and she nodded, awed by his way with words. "But there are those phenomena that are equally beautiful." He said meaningfully.

She blushed and placed a podgy hand to an equally podgy cheek. "You speak nicely,"

"Why thank you, I would like to consider myself a wordsmith." He responded with a calm smile.

"You are, you are!" She agreed, her face now red from blushing.

"I have a question to ask you, but I fear that by some outlandish change in this calm weather you might be inclined to deny my request, like the clouds deny the sun access on a rainy day." He said shyly, studying her with an artists eyes, that can see anything as beautiful, as art.

"What is it?" She asked, her emerald eyes wide with intrigue and hope.

"One day, when you're not busy, would you take a walk with me, or join me for a drink?"

"Of course!" she said, clapping her large hands together as they both grinned stupidly at each other.

"Darling you look ridiculous in your work suit!" Samantha, the new neighbour, told her husband Grant, who looked stressed and rushed even though he had the day off. "Try to relax. At least look happy... I'm not making you be here."

"Yes dear," Grant answered in a monotonous voice.

"Oh and straighten your tie."

"Yes dear,"

"Dance a little slower, you're dancing at a monkey's pace, we're supposed to be high class."

"Yes dear,"

"Honestly, can't you say anything else?"

"Yes dear,"

"Then why don't you?" She snapped, and Grant looked at the ground with a tired look in his eyes. Samantha finally seemed to have heard herself as she stopped her nagging.

"Oh dear, I've turned into a nag! When did this happen?" She asked despairingly and Grant looked at her and laughed.

"What's so funny?" She demanded, placing her slender hands on her hips.

"You were always a nag dear," he informed her and she frowned.

"Then why did you marry me?" She asked, truly wanting to know.

"Because I loved you despite that, now dear, why don't we go and mingle? We need to get to know our neighbours better." He said with a small smile, trying his hardest to have a good time.

"Yes... yes dear, that sounds like a good idea..."

"Ah dear, look at how happy Rock looks," Tim pointed out and Ruby smiled.

"Yes, and look how happy Nami looks," she replied and Tim agreed. They smiled at each other, feeling they had done a good duty as self-appointed guardians of the people they considered their children.

"I can feel love in the valley," he informed her and she smiled in agreement.

"May there always be love."

All good things come to an end and the wedding party was no exception, the lovers all made their ways back home, content to spend the evening together in whatever way they wanted. Because even if there is nothing else to cling onto, the love of someone, be it a lover, a friend or a family member, will always be there. And even if you have no one else in the world, there is always the love of yourself to hold onto, because if you love yourself you'll be amazed at what you can achieve.

Lumina lay on the bed as Rock kissed her gently, slowly pulling off her dress. She had already removed his tie and his shirt, her nails scraping softly against the smooth skin she found there. Between breaths Rock ceased the kissing, easing onto the bed and looking into the clear brown eyes of his lover.

"Are you sure?" He asked, concerned that he might hurt her by moving to fast.

"You have no idea how sure," she promised, her wide eyes telling him that it was okay and that she felt safe with him and that was all he needed to know.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear before trailing kisses down her neck.

"I love you too," she replied, breathing heavily before he crushed his lips against hers again.

Love is a precious gift, a magical thing, perhaps what makes the world go round. If you're lucky enough to find it then you should never let it go, whether you believe in the love of fairytales, passionate love of Hollywood movies or merely the mutual enjoyment of someone's company, you should know how it feels to you. So maybe love isn't like in fiction, maybe you don't just suddenly meet someone that you're willing to give your heart to and then it all works out from there. Love isn't about how much someone suits you, but how much you're willing to change to suit them; it's about compromise and acceptance. Maybe it will be easy to find, maybe it won't, maybe your first love will be your only love, maybe they won't. But there's someone out there for everyone. True love may not come immediately, but it's worth the wait, no matter how many times you've been hurt, it's out there, and don't settle for anything less.

* * *

Next chapter: "The Paranoia"... 


	26. The Paranoia

And here's the next chapter... hopefully where the action begins...

Enjoy :)

* * *

26. The Paranoia 

Lumina sat in the icy, cold water, it was the first day of winter and she felt the frigid water trickle down her back, freezing her nerves. She gasped from the shock, closing her eyes and breathing heavily. She opened her eyes again, feeling clean and comforted now, she could still feel the warmth of Rock from the night before. She smiled, she hadn't felt so loved in a long time, perhaps she had never felt like that with Jack. Closing her eyes she bobbed under the water quickly, resurfacing with her hair forming in cold tendrils, she breathed in the icy air. She felt her hair stand on end and began to shiver from the cold, she knew bathing in the pond was a sure way to get pneumonia in the winter, but she couldn't help herself.

She prepared herself to leave the bath when suddenly a huge rock fell from the waterfall, landing where she had just moved from with a loud icy "plop", followed by a huge splash. She breathed heavily, her eyes widening when she saw how close the boulder had been to crushing her. She raced from the pool, wrapping her robe around her and hurrying to the inn. She found Ruby, Rock and Tim and explained what had happened fearfully.

"It was just a freak accident; you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lucky that you moved." Ruby reassured her and she nodded. She still couldn't help feeling her mortality, after all she had been so close to death. That thought frightened her hugely, she knew that she was too young to die, to go the way of her parents and her grandmother.

"It was a close one, Lu, but just an accident, why are you obsessing?" Rock asked her, while he had an arm wrapped around her and she was still shaking.

"It's just... I almost died..." She whispered, her lips were still pale blue from the cold and the shock and her eyes were still wide.

"But you didn't, thank your lucky stars and move on..." he said calmly, Lumina frowned. It was easy for him to be calm; he hadn't almost lost his life an hour ago.

Lumina walked down the path, trying to work out how the boulder had fallen, but she couldn't work out scientifically how.

"A rock has never fallen down there, besides, what would have caused a heavy rock like that to fall? It has to have been pushed..." She said aloud, still she had to put her mind at rest so she headed back to the pond. "I'm so paranoid…"

"There's no way it could have just fallen..." She whispered, she then shook her head, she was definitely paranoid.

She returned to the inn quickly, hiding in the safety of her room and locking the door and windows, worried that something might get her. Her thoughts seemed to tell her that the world was trying to kill her, and if it truly was her time to go, she wasn't going without a fight. Of course she was paranoid, her mind told her the honest truth, but she still needed to remain safe.

Eventually she calmed down enough to unlock the door and she took a step forward, she tripped over a piece of string stretched from end to end just outside the door and fell backwards with a small thud. She shook her head, gazing in wonder at the string; how had it got there? She looked up to see a sharp floorboard that was sharpened into a point in front of the string, in an angle across that would have speared her had she fell forward. She screamed loudly, gaining the attention of Rock, Ruby and Tim. Crying while she spoke she explained exactly what had happened while Tim removed the floorboard and took away the string.

"Someone's trying to kill me..." she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks as she sniffed.

"No one's trying to kill you Lu, it's just a coincidence!" Rock told her, a suspicious coincidence it was, but definitely a coincidence.

"That floorboard wasn't like that when I entered the room," she said, her voice shaking as she gritted her teeth. "And there was no string."

"Something could have dropped onto the floorboard to make it move like that and break, and maybe you put the string there to keep people out. Nobody has been in this inn except for us." Ruby informed her, looking at her as though she was some nutcase.

"And none of us are trying to kill you." Rock promised with a small laugh and she frowned in confusion.

"B-but I didn't do any of that..." she whispered, her voice cracking slightly.

"Maybe you should get some sleep." Ruby suggested, taking Lumina into the room. "Change into your pyjamas and I'll fetch you a nice hot drink, which I'll keep my eye on to make sure it's not poisoned. I'll even try a sip before it gets to you."

Lumina nodded and they turned to leave the room but she held on to Rock's hand before he could. "Please stay with me," she begged, her innocent eyes wide with fear.

"Lu, this is all in your head... but I'll stay." He promised, closing his eyes like a gentlemen as she changed then lying down next to her.

Ruby then brought up the steaming drink which she had taste tested and Lumina took a sip, before closing her eyes and rolling over in bed.

Rock hushed her and held her as she drifted off, worried for her health, he knew he had to help her through this strange paranoia. He watched her, she had a frown on her face as she slept and she looked far from peaceful.

"Don't worry Lu, I'll protect you... even if I have to protect you from yourself." He promised, stroking her shining hair.

* * *

"She's not well," Ruby informed Dr Hardy, as he took Lumina's temperature. "I think she's suffering from some kind of mental disturbance after she found out her family was murdered... I'm surprised it hasn't appeared before."

"I'm not mentally disturbed." Lumina protested, spitting out the thermometer and folding her arms. "I'm not imagining this, I swear."

"Lumina you're sick, your mind is telling you that someone's trying to kill you, so you won't know how sick you really are." Hardy explained to her as though she were a child. She sighed angrily, realising that it would be pointless to reason with them.

"Look, I'm fine, we need to find out who's behind this, because that's the person who killed my parents." She told them and they just shook their heads more.

"You believe me, don't you Rock?" She pleaded, her eyes wide like big, brown puppy-dog eyes. He shuffled guiltily and looked away. "Don't you?"

"I'm sorry Lu, but you're sick and you need help, you need to know that." He said softly. She growled in frustration, standing up and throwing the blankets they had heaped on her off.

"She must have caught something when she bathed in the cold pond..." Ruby said shaking her head worriedly.

"Why don't any of you believe me? You know my family were murdered, the murderer is here! You have to do something!" She protested, realising that really she must sound a little crazy, but she expected her loved ones to believe her.

"Okay sweetie... we'll keep a look out." Ruby said patronisingly, as though to calm her down. Rock just looked sadly down at the ground, desperately worried for his girlfriend's health. She sighed, giving up on reasoning and storming out of the room.

"_What's changed recently?" _She asked herself, thinking over the new changed. _"Sebastian... he just arrived... but he wouldn't. I've been getting closer and closer to figuring out the murderer, maybe the murderer was here all along and they've figured me out. But Ruby said no one was in the inn yesterday..."_

"We'd better keep an eye on her," she head Dr. Hardy explain. "We'll lock her in her room."

"_And I'll climb out of the window." _She thought, going straight to her room and waiting until she heard the door lock.

Once she heard everyone head to the kitchen to discuss her "illness", she opened her window quietly and climbed down, thankfully it wasn't too high. She then headed to the mansion to hide in the garden and think things over.

"So who is the murderer...? I've figured out that it must be someone that was in the village when my grandmother was murdered and where my parents were murdered, my hometown in America..." She said aloud. "Nina said it was something to do with a locket, but this one won't open... I have to open it."

She reluctantly removed it from her neck, taking a deep breath as she took a brick and shattered the inside, it was empty except for a small engraving.

"Why's there no picture of my parents like Romana said there was... I can't read the inscription... I need a magnifying glass or a telescope or something..." She murmured, squinting at the writing. "Daryl, he'll have one."

She hurried to the scientists lab, finding the door unlocked she entered, he was in there somewhere and would no doubt see her. Still she hurried to find a telescope, ignoring the diagrams that suggested ways to kill Carter. She placed it under the telescope and focused in on the writing.

"_Herman jewellery fakes ltd. Bronze, gilded gold."_

She read it and frowned, it was a fake... but her parents wouldn't have given her a fake locket, her eyes widened. "Someone must have the real one..." She whispered.

"The real what?" The voice of Daryl came, like the sound of noisy bats. She cringed and turned to face him.

"Uh, it's nothing... I was looking for something..." She mumbled, blushing red from guilt.

"Snooping eh? What do you want?" He demanded, a greasy hand on his bony hip.

"It's nothing... honestly... I just left something here that's all," she held up the locket. "And now I've found it... thank you, bye." She then hurried out of the lab before he could accuse her of stealing or something.

* * *

"A fake locket... so the murderer must have the real one... and the real one must have the code that was needed to get the money from the will..." She said softly, her eyes widened in realisation and she continued to stare at the locket. She looked up to see Dr Hardy walking around town looking for her. She quickly darted to the nearest house, which happened to be Jack's farm.

She took a deep breath and knocked on his door, praying that he would answer. She was relieved when he did and she hastened to explain everything that was going on.

"And they all think you're paranoid?" He checked and she nodded. "Well no offence, but you sound it, I have half a mind to turn you in."

She stood up quickly and shook her head," please don't, I'm not paranoid honest!"

"Fine, you can stay here if you like," he suggested and she smiled, nodding quickly. "Well make yourself useful and make us both a mug of hot chocolate, I think we have some talking to catch up on."

* * *

Celia headed down the dirt path, her brown skirt blowing slightly in the winter breeze as she made her way down to Gustafa's hut, she wanted to wave the young couple off before they made their way on a honeymoon in America. She arrived at the bright door and rapped her small knuckles upon it; they were pale from the cold making her hairs stand on end. There was no answer on the door but she pushed the door open anyway, after all Gustafa wasn't known to answer his door, he was welcoming to all.

"Good evening," she greeted with a bow of her head when she spotted him, sitting on his bed and twiddling a flower pensively. She could see that his wife was absent and she knew she would have to either wait or return later.

"Good evening, here to see Nami?" He asked, his voice mellow and even, relaxing to the ears.

"Both of you actually," Celia corrected. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"Give her half an hour, she'll be back when she gets hungry," he told her with a wink. "Tea?" He offered her a mug of herbal tea which she accepted with curiosity, as much as she enjoyed a good cup of herbal tea she wasn't sure what would be in a brew made by Gustafa.

Celia took a seat on the bed next to Gustafa and they began talking, as they waited, discussing nature and the weather and slowly realising how much they had in common.

"Well it's getting late and Nami's still not back," Celia sighed, she stood, deciding to say her goodbyes to him and catch Nami another time.

"Ah, you're leaving. Good night." He told her and she smiled.

"Thank you, have a great time on your Honeymoon, we must meet when you get back." She said politely, leaning in for a hug. He leaned in too and both were equally shock when their lips met, and more shocked when the kiss was returned with a fervent hunger. They then pulled away shocked, as though they had been shocked by electricity.

"I must be off, let's never mention this." She said quickly, running away from the crazy hut as quickly as possible.

* * *

Lumina sat opposite Jack on the kitchen table, sipping at the hot chocolate she had made, her mind buzzing like a hive of wasps.

"So what did we have to chat about?" She asked, mainly to break the silence, but she was also curious.

"I wanted to talk about us," he said softly, his eyes searching for hers meaningfully. She almost choked on her hot chocolate, coughing for a second then looking at him wide eyed.

"There is no us remember, _you _broke up with _me_." She pointed out, after recovering from her choking fit. "You picked Muffy over me!"

"No I didn't, I had no feelings for Muffy then!" He shouted, the truth pouring from his lips, like water from a cracked flood gate.

"What are you talking about?" She asked with a frown. She remembered their break-up as though it were yesterday, he had told her he was in love with Muffy, she had said nothing about loving Rock. "You're the one who told me I was in love with Rock, I had barely even thought about it."

"But you had thought about it, and you'd dismissed it out of duty. You didn't love me Lu, how could I do that to you?" He asked, looking at her sadly. She sat glued to her chair, her whole body had turned numb with the news that the break up had been _her_ fault.

"Rock and I... I never cheated on you." She promised, glancing at him to check he knew that.

"I know, but I knew you'd deny that you loved him, so I had to tell you I had feelings for someone else." He explained, still feeling guilty about the way he had treated her. "Besides Muffy liked me enough, but I knew she wouldn't love me, so she wouldn't get hurt." He added.

Lumina looked at him solemnly, feeling pity for the poor blonde that he had abused so selfishly. "But she does love you," she told him sombrely. "The question is, do you love her?"

"No..." he admitted softly, "do you love him?"

Lumina looked to the floor and nodded, she had begun to see that Jack was right, she had loved Rock since she had moved to the inn.

"See? I couldn't let our relationship be a lie. I couldn't let you be completely oblivious to your feelings for him. But I... I still love you Lu!" He told her, leaning forward to kiss her. Her eyes widened in shock, too shocked to push him off, she heard the door open and saw Muffy standing there brightly. As soon as the blonde saw them her smile faded and her green eyes filled with tears.

"How could you?" She shouted at Jack, who pulled away quickly. Although he didn't love Muffy, he still cared deeply for her, and the pain hit him like a slap in the face for hurting her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." He began, but found himself unable to find words to justify his actions.

"It was an accident Muffy, it meant nothing!" Lumina told her honestly, it wasn't even an accident on her part, it was slow reaction time.

"Shut up you whore! You think it's alright to do this? To steal other girl's boyfriends?" Muffy demanded, her emerald eyes blazing like green fire, angry and spitting.

"Muffy I'm not like that! I told you it meant nothing!" Lumina repeated, her eyes wide with worry.

"Jack, how could you?" Muffy asked again, the tears in her eyes fizzling out the fire of anger and turning her feelings into sorrow, the guilt was eating Jack alive at that moment.

"Muffy... I care deeply for you... but I don't love you." he told her, he was unable to lie to her, to tell her that he loved her.

"It's not enough, I love you Jack! I can't even look at you right now!" She shouted, she then turned on her heal and headed out of the door, slamming it shut.

They both stood for a moment, registering what had happened and the shock before they could react. "Follow her," Lumina ordered and they both headed for the door, heading in the direction that the blonde had left in. They arrived on the path to the forest, looking around for the blonde, but it was too dark to see a thing.

* * *

The murderer, yes, he decided that was the suitable term, sat in the bushes, cleaning the cold metal gun with a rag, he'd been sitting out there far too long waiting for Lumina to come out. Did he feel guilty about what he was doing? Of course. He didn't want to kill the girl, but she was getting too close, she had left him no choice. His other attempts to kill her hadn't worked, his safer attempts that looked like accidents, even her loved ones had been fooled. But now it came to this, he would have to shoot her, they would investigate afterwards of course, but the fools would never suspect a thing.

He heard a rustling nearby and the sound of footsteps, his hands were numb from being out in the cold as he clasped them defensively around the gun. His hand was shaking, he wasn't sure if it was from the cold, or the apprehension of killing again, but he'd done it enough times before, so why would it bother him now?

He placed a finger on the trigger, it was so dark that he could barely locate his target. But he knew it was her, he could tell from the footsteps and the breathing that she was female. He aimed and pulled the cold, metal trigger, cringing a little as the bullet rang out with a bang and running into the night. He had heard the body fall and a high pitched scream, he'd hit his mark.


	27. The Ultimatum

I'm so sorry that I'm so bad at updating this, but I promise that I _will _finish this, I really hate it when people leave there stories unfinished.

Thank you reviewers :) you guys rock the world so hard that you cause earthquakes ;) :

**Ekoaleko: **Thank you so much :) Well I will definitely make sure to update, because I hate leaving you hanging for so long, I mean hanging off a cliff is, let's face it, a very dangerous situation.

**gothangel12345: **Well this is the dramatic part, so there will be some v. emotional stuff here, I just hope I can do these characters justice.

**Chicken Yuki: **Haha, darn, am I becoming that predictable? Yeah Rock kinda doesn't show any sense at all in the previous chapter, I'm not all that proud of him in this chapter either to be honest, but then, Jack isn't exactly gonna end up being heroic. Well it's coming to the crunch where I'll reveal the murderer, I'm sure you'll definitely have figured it out before hand, but maybe you haven't yet... or maybe you have ;)

**YukiShinoya444: **Yeaah Jack did the right thing probably, well before the recent chapters, but Lumina's got her own decision to make...

**Vook: **Ah wow, I should have taken theatre studies, well I think I might be breaking the fourth wall then... ;) you learn a new thing every day. Thanks :)

**Awesome Rapidash: **Yeah I probably should have included more about the wedding, but I end up writing so many in each story that I end up not doing each one justice, my apologies. Yep the murderer is male, and I'll be interested to know how many people have figured the murderer out, once I've revealed it though, I don't want people to spoil it.

**Kairi Tsubasa: **Impulse can be annoying, but I do think there are some times where impulsiveness is good, this of course wasn't one of them.

**KoorazyxSukiyaki: **Sorry about the lack of updating and thank you for reviewing, and yeah... Griffin...

* * *

27. The Ultimatum 

Jack heard the gunshot, loud in the quiet of the night, the sound still rang in his ears as he felt his heart beat faster. He had also heard the scream, a female scream, someone had been shot tonight and she could be dead or wounded.

"Lumina!" he shouted, the shot had hit nearby and he had to check. There was silence and he felt himself begin to sweat and panic. What if she was dead? It would all be his fault...

"Lumina!" he shouted again, this time louder and more desperate, he had to find her.

"I'm here, I'm fine." He heard her voice and let out a deep sigh of relief, thanking his lucky stars that she was okay and clambering around to find her. He grabbed onto her arm and then hugged her tight, so glad that she was still with him.

"Go get a torch," she ordered authoritatively and the hardness of her voice made him rush. He had never heard her speak like that, but he had a feeling she knew something that he didn't.

He returned quickly and handed her the torch which she turned on, the light illuminated her so that he could see the silent tears that she had cried, he knew instantly that something was very wrong.

"What is it, Lu?" he asked, he sounded like a small child, so innocent to the world.

"I... I..." She wasn't positive, she hadn't yet seen the body, but somehow she knew what had happened.

"Don't worry, let's just find out what happened and then we'll find Muffy," he said calmly, completely unaware of what had happened.

"Jack..." she whispered, in a voice that reflected her heartache. She said it in a tone that caused him to stop and stare, that allowed him to know exactly what she meant in a second.

"No," he said softly, totally disbelieving. Lumina swallowed hard, letting the silent tears fall and taking a step forward until she was looking into the forest. She shone the torch up ahead and spotted the figure lying, it was not yet obvious who the body belonged to.

"Please Lu, tell me it isn't..." Jack begged softly, and Lumina shut her eyes tightly, walking towards the body but saying nothing.

The seconds before they reached the fallen body seemed to slow down, as though they were on a treadmill and every step took them no further forward. Eventually they reached the body and at that point time seemed to stop completely. The body had fallen on its back, green, now turning pale, eyes stared accusingly up, wide open. The golden hair was stiff with dark carmine red blood and the once blushed cheeks were beginning to turn pale, the remnants of tears still lingered in her staring eyes. Lumina choked out a sob as she looked down at Muffy while Jack just stared numbly at her. He then dropped to his knees and pulled the body against him, crying hard against it, the thick, vermillion blood from the gun shot wound smearing against his clothes.

Soon the people arrived, first came Sebastian who looked on the scene with great pity.

"Lumina, you're okay!" He said, sounding almost surprised, but Lumina had thought nothing of it, simply nodding quietly and then pointing at the body. After more people came, the body was taken to Dr Hardy's for a post-mortem, but nothing could be done, she was stone dead. After that everyone returned home, to mourn in their own way, but time had frozen in the valley, and things would never be the same again.

Rock wrapped his arm around Lumina and attempted to take her away but she stood rooted to the spot, watching Jack on the ground where Muffy had lay an hour before, he was still sobbing.

"That bullet..." Lumina said softly, it was the first thing she had said in hours. "It was meant for me."

"Lumina, it wasn't... it wasn't your fault..." Rock said softly, he knew the guilt would kill her if she was allowed to see it as her fault. In fact Rock could feel his own remorse, maybe if he had believed Lumina that someone had tried to kill her, this wouldn't have happened.

"That should have been me," she whispered, she blinked and hot tears trickled down her cheeks. Rock felt a cold shiver travel down his spine, it could have been her, he had almost lost her. He pulled her tighter to him, stroking her hair and kissing her on the cheek, which was now as cold as porcelain.

"No sweetie, please, come back to the inn, we need to get you somewhere warm." He begged, he needed to get her away from this, otherwise she was a danger to herself.

"I won't do something stupid," she promised, knowing that that was what worried him. "Go, I need to talk to Jack."

Rock might normally have been worried about this, but right now, nothing seemed to matter but her safety, and he was sure he could trust Jack with that. After all he knew Jack was still in love with Lumina. He nodded reluctantly and turned away, walking back down the path alone.

"Let's go back to your farm, Jack." Lumina told him, helping him up and leading him away, she knew it was unhealthy for either of them to linger there. When they were in the warmth of the house she sat him down at the table and made them a cup of hot, sweet tea, to help with the shock. She looked at his bloodstained shirt, deciding to help him deal with that later, there were much more important things to deal with. Yet the blood seemed to stick out in her mind, it should have been her blood, she shouldn't be the one dealing with this, she should be the one having a post-mortem.

"It should have been me," she stated coldly, and Jack nodded, not bothering to deny it. He wasn't even able to look at her, partly from the guilt but partly from the grief. "Do you wish it was?"

He finally looked up at her and shook his head. "No... but the last thing I said to her was, I don't love you..."

"I know, the last thing she saw was me helping you cheat on her... she... Jack..." Lumina mumbled, unable to express herself. She couldn't even voice the pain she felt that she had been arguing with Muffy before she died, and she had thought that Lumina was stealing Jack.

"I can't deal with this right now," Jack stated, his head in his hands. "I'll grieve later... right now I need to know Lumina... do you love me?"

"What? That doesn't even matter right now!" She protested, horrified that he thought it did matter.

"Yes it does, Lumina, if you don't love me, then I'm leaving." He told her and she looked at him in shock.

"What? You can't do that to me right now! Not after this!" She shouted, standing up off the table and beginning to pace.

"Lumina, I have nothing else to stay for now, if you don't give me a reason to stay, then I'm leaving." He explained, and she looked at him with anger.

"You're giving me an ultimatum, now?!" She asked, her voice cracking as the hot tears fell down her face. "I can't deal with that right now! At least give me some time..."

"What the hell will time do, Lu? Just delay my leaving so I'll never get round to doing it? No Lu, depending on your answer, I'm leaving tonight."

"Tonight? You're not even waiting for the funeral?" She demanded, horrified at his behaviour. She began to pace the room, her breathing becoming shallow.

"I don't deserve to be there, not after what I've done. It's final, if you don't give me a reason to stay, then I'll be gone by tomorrow morning." He announced, his eyes so hard that she knew he wasn't lying.

"How can you do that to me? How can you ask that now? I need you!" She yelled, yet more tears forming in her golden eyes.

"You have other people Lu, I can't stay just because you need me, give me your answer." He demanded, keeping his will strong, because he knew he couldn't stay for nothing.

"Can't I have a few days?" She pleaded, her eyes watery like a sea of liquid gold.

"What will a few days change? Nothing! Give me your answer, Lu, do you love me?" He asked, looking straight into her eyes, his own deep brown ones filled with emotion.

"No," she whispered, her voice shaking and he nodded. He was silent, his heart ached but he knew he had to leave. "Please don't go."

"I'm sorry Lu, I'm packing." He said regretfully.

"Well I'm not gonna watch you leave," she spat, turning to storm out.

"Is that really how you want to leave things?" He asked her, "just say goodbye, Lu."

"Goodbye," she said coldly, turning to leave, but stopping with an afterthought. "If you do leave tonight, you sure as hell better not come back."

He watched her go sadly, wondering if that would be the last he would ever see of her.

She left the house shaking with adrenaline, her anger at Jack burning in her like a bonfire. But if he left, she knew she'd feel guilty about her last words, she couldn't let him leave like that. Forgetting her pride she ran back to the farm house, finding the door locked she ran up the pathway to Mineral town. Finally she found him and threw herself into his arms, he held her tightly.

"I know you need to do this for some reason, but please come back." She begged and he smiled weakly.

"You couldn't keep me away," he told her, letting go and walking into the distance.

"I'll miss you," she shouted after him, but he was truly gone.

* * *

Loss, the word leaks from the lips and lingers on the tongue, like a bad aftertaste left by sweet food. You cringe as you swallow hard, trying to rid yourself of that terrible taste, yet it refuses to leave. But you still have the memories of the good thing you ate earlier, that when it left it left a residue on your tongue, but that doesn't mean you regret eating it. Lumina had lost two people in her life that night, both her fault, both things she could have changed, had she just been there. She kept running through her head how maybe, maybe if she hadn't run from the inn, then Muffy would still be alive and Jack would be with her. Or maybe, had she gone elsewhere, had she not turned to Jack, maybe she would have been dead... would that have been better? 

She sat alone, completely without another creature on the beach, in the dark of the night. She knew it wasn't safe, perhaps the murderer would take their chance then, it was irresponsible, and after Muffy had lost her life it was disrespectful to her memory. But somehow alone was all she could be right now, alone with her guilt, with her tears and with her "what ifs". But she could still feel her guardian angel lingering behind her, she should know she was never truly alone, even if she felt it.

"You couldn't have done anything." His voice was still like a gift to her ears, but a gift she had not expected, nor wanted to receive; an expensive gift that came wrapped in guilt.

"What does, "I want to be alone", mean to you?" She asked, wiping the tears from her face and sniffing.

"It never meant anything," Rock said as he sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her and feeling the cold of her skin. "You'll catch your death out here..." He could usually be trusted to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. "You know I didn't mean..."

"Leave me alone," she whispered. "Please?"

"You know I can't do that, I can't let you beat yourself up over this." He told her.

"Jack's gone,"

"Before the funeral?"

"Yes," she said softly, leaning into him, although she had wanted to be alone she knew it would help to share her burden, after all "a trouble shared is a trouble halved."

"Why'd he leave?" He asked, taking her into his arms. She explained the nights events from the beginning and he listened, without blame and without judgement, until her story was done.

"It's all my fault," she told him, knowing now that he knew the whole story he could agree with her.

"No it's not, Lu. You couldn't have done anything different tonight, because you've got to face the fact that this was all beyond your control. You didn't initiate anything, all you did is react."

"But if I'd only stayed put..."

"If you'd stayed put _you _might have been killed, if we had have listened to you and tried to help you maybe a death would have been prevented. But Lu, it wasn't, and you are not to blame, none of us are."

"But..."

"Did you pull that trigger?" He interrupted and she shook her head. "The murderer's the one to blame, and we'll find them... we will."

She looked up at him with wide, innocent and fragile eyes, she looked so lost with her tears magnifying her pain like tiny telescopes. "You promise?"

"I swear on my life Lu, we'll find whoever it is." He swore and she nodded, resting her head on his chest and crying.

* * *

Another deep, rectangular hole was dug on top of that small hill, next to Galen's house. The flowers were all dead and a sheet of thick snow covered where the green grass should have been, where there should have been life there was only death. The ground was frozen and the hole had been so hard to dig, the heavy, frozen clods had been thrown to the side and hollow emptiness had replaced them. It was another cold morning, the sky was so dismally dark that it seemed like a mirror, reflecting the people's exact feelings; pathetic fallacy had never been so accurate. 

The black mob, those black clothes had been worn too much recently, had assembled near the hole, letting their hot, salty tears drip into it to melt the ice. At least then the ground might be a warmer final resting place for such a bright girl. The glossy black coffin was carried in by Griffin and Tim, it was lain by the hole, looking dismally over where it would be hidden for the rest of the earth's life.

"It should have been red," Lumina whispered sorrowfully, clutching a red rose so tightly in her pale hands that the thorns dug in, the blood as red as the roses. A few of the people nodded, looking stonily at the coffin, each one of them clutching a flower of their own. Carter, the priest, stood solemnly over the coffin, even he who had hardly known the girl could appreciate that youth should not die so early. Griffin was racked by sobs, the girl he considered his daughter was gone, and already he looked as though he had aged hundreds of years.

"Muffy was the sort of girl that kept people young," Carter voiced. "She was light to this valley, and now it shall be darkness without her."

The ceremony went as all would, there were tears and there was depression, but this funeral differed from others, the small spark of hope that would otherwise be ignited seemed absent, as she was dead. They all knew Muffy would have never wanted such a sombre funeral, she would have wanted to put the "fun" in funeral, but there seemed little to be cheerful about now. Those who would have otherwise said, "well she lived a full life", were silent, and they couldn't even seek comfort in drowning their sorrows with alcohol. No one would be served alcohol in Blue bar by a sunny waitress, never again would they be consoled over their troubles, or be convinced to have _just one_ last drink, or maybe just two more.

"I was in love with her," Kassey admitted, standing next to his twin in the cold, the usual bright turquoise aprons switched for melancholy black attire. No one reacted as they might have done had the girl been alive, no one saw it as sick and twisted, merely... unfortunate, as this whole thing was.

"She was my little girl," Griffin spoke, his voice shaking with emotion. "No father should have to bury his daughter."

Lumina looked sadly down at the ground, Muffy had meant so much to all these people, she had left a scar upon them. Lumina wondered if, had she died instead, people would have been scarred also, or would she have merely left a bruise. She wanted to offer her condolences, but what was there to say when the good die young?

"Let us... put her to rest." Carter said, gesturing to the casket, which was soon lowered into the ground. It was then buried, like treasure, a buried treasure that would never be found again, "X" would not mark this spot, but a polished stone would mark the ground forever. Everyone dropped their flowers upon the soil, saying a few last words and then reluctantly turning away and following the person before them back home. Lumina approached the stone and knelt, placing her rose on the ground, the red mixing with the rainbow of coloured flowers that the others had laid before her.

"Well I'm sorry," she choked out, her eyes filling with fresh tears. "I didn't mean it to be like this, I didn't mean that to be our goodbye. It should have been me, I know that, and I will find the murdered, I promise." How many times had she made that promise and still not fulfilled it.

"Come on Lu, let's go..." Rock whispered, his heart breaking for the young girl, who he knew would give anything to switch places with the one in the casket.

"I'll be there in a minute," she told him with a weakly reassuring smile. Everyone else had left their flowers and gone now, even Griffin had turned away with the promise to return later. "I need to be alone with her."

Rock nodded, he turned and walked away, only his trust for his girlfriend powering his feet.

Lumina ran her hand over the engraving of the recently placed stone, the black polished marble glimmering slightly in the pale winter sun.

"_Our light is gone,_

_From heaven she looks down,_

_Her beauty shone,_

_But now it is dark._

_She will be sorely missed._

_Muffy Hart, age 21"_

She read it, and smiled weakly, she gazed at the two graves beside that one, both belonging to the old. "They'll all be jealous how young you are in heaven," she told her. "If I die old, you can gloat about it, and I'll apologise... I'm sorry."

She then walked away slowly, to find her family and devise away to make Muffy's killer pay for what they did, they took away the fire.

* * *

Up in the sky the shining angels looked down on the valley, Romana and Nina smiled proudly and Muffy looked down sorrowfully. 

"Will she feel guilty forever?" Muffy asked, her green eyes, even more brilliant in heaven's glow, filled with her own kind of guilt. "I don't blame her for anything."

"Maybe, but life goes on. Offer your forgiveness and I'm sure she'll receive it, especially once she gives _him _what he deserves." Romana said with a decisive nod.

"Yes, I can't believe _he _of all people killed you two," Nina said with a sad shake of her head. "He always seemed like such a nice man." The others nodded in sad agreement before the raised their glowing, bright, cotton white wings to the sky and floated up like feathers to the heavens.

* * *

MURDERER REVEALED NEXT CHAPTER...


	28. Revelations

Well guys, sorry as usual for the distinct lack of updating... this may just be the end.

I have plans for following chapters...

or we can let it end here... it's your decisions, if even a few of you want me to continue then I will!

In any case I want to give **special thanks **to:

**Awesome Rapidash**

**Chicken Yuki**

**YukiShinoya444**

**like red on a rose **

**gothangel12345**

**Vook**

**Momo-chan12**

**NightimeRoseOX**

You guys reviewed the most of all, so thank you very much!!

_Thanks also to: _**Kairi Tsubasa, frozenmoogle, hmgirly12, ****kelley28, PhoenixAvenger II, Nellas Elendil, ****Ekoaleko, ****klutz586, ****barelyawake, Disodo, Werewolf559, Midnight Raining Down, MyShadowsThorn, KoorazyxSukiyaki, Shiruko Yuina**

Thanks also to those who read it... even if you didn't review, I 'preciate it :)

* * *

28. Revelations 

Lumina grew restless, the morning light had not yet dawned upon the valley, and everyone seemed to use this as an excuse to lock themselves away and let the darkness absorb them. Of course she wanted to do the same, she wanted to curl up next to the fire, eat something hot and forget all about the events of the past few days; but she found when she tried to do this, it hurt more, only by keeping busy could she numb her guilt. Even being occupied didn't quite help, because she had one thing on her mind: _revenge. _

She knew she had to find the murderer, before they found her, and she knew she had a time limit before the killer would strike again. She was already dressed, sitting in her warmest clothes by the window and watching the moon shine it's gloating, lustrous eye over the valley, like a glowing clock that refused to tick and every second seemed to take years. She could hear the restless sounds of Ruby and Tim doing jobs around the house, they were too depressed to sleep, but they kept most of the lights of, and to the rest of the valley they would appear peaceful. Of course it was a stupid façade, one that the entire valley attempted to pull, but she knew they were all awake. That was what made her most restless, that they forced themselves into their prisons of peaceful misery when they all wanted to burst free.

"Lu, you awake?" Rock asked, shuffling into the bedroom, Lumina had requested to sleep alone that night, not wishing him to see her silent tears or hear her gentle sobs.

"Of course," she replied, turning her eyes, bright from impatience, to survey his outer appearance. He appeared calm, as though he had slept a little, enough to help his girl keep up her strength with support, but nowhere near enough to be counted as a good night.

"You want to get started on finding the murderer, don't you?" He stated tiredly and she nodded. "I wish you'd let me do it instead, so you can be kept safe."

"I can't, in fact I'm the only one who can do this, and I want to do it alone, it's less conspicuous." She told him calmly, ignoring the worried look on his face.

"Lu..." he said softly, his voice soft, he was too down to fight now. "Be careful."

"I always am, I'll look for evidence as soon as the sun comes up, there'll be no point searching in the dark." She announced, mentally cursing the winter time and its short days.

Eventually the sun did peek its golden head over the horizon, sleepily shivering in the winter cool. Lumina hurried through the glittering valley, over to the path where Muffy had recently met her end. Up until that point, it had been sectioned off and only Harris, the stout policeman from Mineral town, was allowed to look at the evidence. Nothing had been found, but Lumina was sure he lacked the motivation, or the competence to search for evidence. She approached the scene and the feeling of nostalgia pasted itself to her stomach, the ground looked virtually untouched and it would have been impossible to tell someone had recently met their end there.

She trudged through the area, looking for a place that a killer might hide, it had been dark and there was little need to hide oneself fully, but a stealthy killer would need to be sure. She searched for hours, until her hands froze and her mind turned to go.

"Lumina..." Sebastian's voice came from behind her and she whirled around quickly, to size up the threat.

"Leave me alone," she said defensively, she still wasn't sure who the murderer was and she had to check she was not talking to one.

"You know it couldn't have been me..." He protested, looking hurt by the suggestion.

"You're on the list of suspects." She informed him coldly, turning away and continuing to search around the crime scene.

"I suppose the phrase: "innocent until proven guilty" means nothing to you." He stated with a sigh, she nodded her agreement and informed him that it was pointless to talk to her right now. Just then Takakura arrived, dragging a cow behind him with a deeply troubled expression on his face.

"I best be selling this cow, I can't take care of it alone... and now Jack is gone." He said to Lumina sadly, the black and white cow dug its glossy hooves in, reluctant to leave its home.

"I'm sorry Tak, I'm trying to find out who the murderer was." She promised him, hoping that it would bring some hope to her.

"Good, tell me if I can be of any assistance... oh, come to my house when I arrive from the market, I have some evidence that might be useful." With that he walked slowly to Mineral town with the old cow.

"I'd like to take a look around your house later, if that's acceptable Sebastian?" She asked, before adding with a look of great sorrow in her eyes. "I don't honestly think it was you Sebastian, because I know you loved my Grandmother. I believe in you, don't let me down."

"I... I won't." He told her, yet there was a look of fear that passed across his face, perhaps mingled with guilt and Lumina couldn't help but cock her head. "Well I have to go, good day."

* * *

"Lumina, you don't honestly think Sebastian is to blame, do you?" Rock asked, looking disbelieving that she would even suspect the man that had acted like a second father to her. 

"No," she said, biting her lip. "At least I don't want to, but he's a main suspect. I can safely say he was there for all three murders, and he was the only one who could have known where my family lived."

"But he told us he didn't..." Rock protested, he had known Sebastian a long time, and he couldn't believe that such a kindly old man could be capable of murder.

"We don't know that he's been telling the truth, Rock." She told him, seriously and he bowed his head sadly.

"What possible motive could he have?"

"My grandmother never let him replace her husband, and when she did die, she might have left him out of the will... besides, he was one of the only people who would have known about the locket." She inferred. Rock frowned, he didn't like the idea of family turning on family, but he had to admit, Sebastian was definitely a suspect.

"But everyone else in the valley had a motive, they're all poor folk who would want the money." He said and she nodded in agreement.

"But is it just a coincidence that someone attempted to murder me and killed Muffy after he came back, there was nothing until then." She pointed out. "The next most obvious suspect is Dr. Hardy, he had access to poisons and was there just before my grandmother died."

"Let's check out his surgery then," Rock suggested, eager to take the blame off Sebastian.

* * *

Thankfully Hardy was not in, and he had carelessly left the door unlocked, as many people in the valley did on occasion, because there was enough trust to do so. The surgery had that hospital smell of antiseptic and different medicines, the smell that reminded Lumina of childhood vaccinations and illness. It was a neat and tidy building, everyone's medical files were safely stored and a locked cabinet held the town's medicines. 

"Do you think he would leave evidence just lying around?" Lumina asked rhetorically, knowing of course that he was unlikely to.

"No idea Lu, you want me to pick the lock and find one of Romana's files... maybe your file." He suggested and she nodded. He deftly pulled out a paper clip from his pocket and slid it through the lock, twisting it until it unlocked with a satisfying click. He pulled it open and pulled out one very faded, light peach file and one slightly less faded, more orange file. Lumina took the faded one first that had belonged to Romana and skim read it, from reading the dates she could work out that her grandmother must be at least one hundred.

"Does it say what medications she was on?" Rock asked curiously, taking a seat on the floor and looking at Lumina's file doubtfully.

"Erm let's take a look... propoxyphene, no... he told me he found traces of arsenic trioxide... but he could have lied... let me take a look at the post mortem results myself..." She pulled out the final, newest looking paper from the file and read down it, it did indeed reflect that arsenic had been found within her body, but in small traces, perhaps some had been lost during the decomposition process. She had obviously died unable to breathe, which was a sign that a metabolic poison was in her system. Frowning she took her own file and browsed it, her lips tightened in concentration, it held nothing out of the ordinary, just ordinary medical results.

"I don't think it's him," she said, shaking her head, before placing the files back into the drawer and having Rock lock it.

"So if it's not him... who is it?" He asked, knowing that a limited number of suspects meant that Sebastian was most likely to be pinned as "most likely suspect". He sighed, feeling deep pity for the man that had lost so much, and hardly any of it was his fault... unless he truly was the murderer.

"That's what we're gonna find out, let's go Rock, I have a couple more leads, but after that I'm stumped." She said, leading him out of the office and out into the street. It was getting darker and Lumina knew that soon Takakura would be back, she hoped his lead proved to be strong enough evidence to condemn the murderer, she was glad to have his help. But if she could not find a lead then she would have to play bait to a trap to find the murderer, and that would be a risk, but one she was willing to take.

* * *

It grew dark and it seemed Lumina had nothing left to do but visit Takakura, so she waved goodbye to Rock, promising that she would take care of herself, and that she wouldn't do anything drastic. She knocked on the door and was immediately invited into Takakura's warm, small house; he beckoned her to sit by the fire and he sat opposite. 

"You know that whoever is doing this, it's for the money, not for a grudge." He informed her and she furrowed her brow.

"How can you tell?" She asked and he frowned secretively.

"Every man has his price, and they will do anything to get money, short of losing their lives. But if someone kills for vengeance, they will stop at nothing; they will let it consume them. Had this been revenge the killer would have killed you immediately, rather than leave it this long." He told her.

"So it couldn't be Sebastian..." she whispered and he shook his head.

"Yes, but he was gone and now that he's back the killings have started, he could have simply been killing others while he was away," Takakura said darkly. "Of course I would never expect that of him."

"No... but do you have any evidence, you said you did..." She asked curiously and he nodded, fumbling through his drawers until he found a silver wristwatch. She frowned at it, taking it in her hand, her eyes widening with recognition.

"This... this belonged to my grandfather... Romana kept it at the mansion..." She said softly, the person who had owned this was obviously rich enough to buy it off the man who had purchased the mansion. "They must have had Romana's fortune..."

"Or..." Takakura said suspenseful. "They stole it... wouldn't you suspect that of a murderer?"

"I suppose, but with my grandmother's fortune... why steal it?" She asked, looking up at him with questioning eyes. He took the watch from her, balancing the weight of the silver in his hand and then placing it on the table.

"Why pay money back to those you stole from, just keep stealing." Takakura said, "after all, murdering your parents and taking the fortune is technically stealing."

"Yeah, so they must have been to the mansion..." She whispered and he nodded, his eyes sparking now that she understood.

"Good thinking, so you should probably check it out." He told her and she nodded.

"Yes, I'll check it tomorrow when it's light." She informed him and he frowned, eager for her to unravel the mystery.

"Why not tonight?" He asked and she explained that she would rather go when it was light, just in case the murderer was to strike. "Good idea."

"Yes, well I'll go now, thank you for your help." She told him with a grateful smile and he nodded, showing her to the door. "Good night." She then turned to walk away.

"Good night Lumina," he waved as she walked off before adding. "Oh and take care of yourself, be very careful."

* * *

The next morning Lumina was eager to search the mansion, so she hurried alone and tumbled through the window that Rock had shown her before. All of the curtains were shut and only the light from the window she had come in through filtered into the high halls. She choked on the dust that had accumulated, the mansion was so dead now, and it was nothing like she remembered it. 

She pushed her way past dusty cobwebs, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness and leading her faithfully to Romana's old bedroom. She almost let out a cry of horror as she entered, it was as untouched as the day she had died, absolutely everything lay in the same place. It was like taking a leap into the past, where she would have entered to greet her grandmother. She could remember entering and finding her grandmother dead, it was almost like a cruel joke that the room was the same, to haunt her. The only change was that a drawer lay open, the jewellery drawer. She found the watch gone, wondering if she tested the fingerprints that she could find the killer. But he had probably been stealthy enough to wear gloves.

"What the?" she gasped when she spotted something that should not have been there poking out of the drawer. It was a small penknife engraved with pictures of animals and made of what looked like a horn of some kind. It was evidence, but a kind of evidence that she could not interpret. "Maybe Takakura will understand it."

She was about to turn and leave, but she couldn't resist the urge to explore the house again, maybe see her old room and play the piano a little. It would still leave her time to find the murderer and she was perfectly safe, she was sure of it. When she sat down at the piano and placed her hands over the worn, yellow keys she felt almost like a spark of electricity shot into her hands. They began to tango over the keys, letting out the beautiful sound of a mournful tune that Romana had taught her. It brought back so many memories that she became engulfed in a she played.

"_Auntie Romana, I'm tired, please don't make me learn to play these little tunes anymore – they bore me so!" The small girl stated, Lumina's younger self had a small bob of light gold hair and her eyes were light, autumn brown, her smooth skin reflected the beauty of youth and innocence and her eyes were bright with content._

"_You need to practice if you want to learn to play longer, more beautiful sonatas and minuets." Romana informed her, even she had been younger then, with darker grey hair and skin less creased by time._

"_Teach me one," Lumina begged, her child's eyes wide and begging while a cute puppy pout formed on her petal pink lips._

"_Patience is a virtue, dear. You could not play a harder tune yet, you do not have the skills." Romana told her and she frowned stubbornly, folding her little arms and squeezing her eyes together tightly._

"_I could Auntie, I could, I could, I could!" She protested, she opened one eye to see Romana's frown at her stubbornness, so she tried a different approach. "Please Auntie, I promise I'll work hard to learn it! And I'll practice real hard afterwards."_

_Romana sighed, slightly jealous at the child's excitement, so she seated herself on the piano and began to teach the child. Lumina picked up the tune quickly, and could proudly play the deep, mournful tune perfectly, even with her eyes closed._

Lumina opened her eyes, the memories haunting her like ghosts of the pasts.

"I won't let you down Romana," she swore, she then checked the silver watch that she had placed on the piano. It was getting late and she still hadn't shown Takakura the knife, so she hurried quickly to the farm.

* * *

She knocked hard on the door, but found there was no answer, frowning she found that the door was slightly ajar. She pushed it open and found the room empty, she didn't want to snoop but she found herself unable to resist searching through the drawers. At the very top of one of his only drawers she saw something gold shimmer and so she pulled it out, finding it was a locket, _her _locket. She frowned, placing her hand to her neck and finding her slightly broken locket was still there, but this was identical. She pulled it open and found her parents pictures there. 

"He must have found the original locket, why didn't he tell me? How did he even know about it?" She whispered, she pulled out the pictures of her parents and found it held an address and a code. She slipped it into her coat pocket and turned to walk out of the door and she spotted Takakura there watching her, she squealed in surprise.

"Oh Tak, you scared me!" She whispered and he looked at her, not even moving.

"Did I?" He asked, "so you found the locket."

"Yes, yes I did, it doesn't tell me who the murderer is, but at least I can go to the address and maybe find out there." She told him and he laughed. She cocked her head and frowned, wondering why he would laugh so loudly.

"This has proved harder than I would have dreamed." He told her, pulling a gun from his coat. "But I really don't want to shoot you in my own home, so I'll count to fifty, you can run. But don't tell anyone I'm after you, and don't scream, or I'll shoot whoever comes to help you."

She opened her mouth in disbelieving shock, looking at him as though he had gone crazy. "What...? You're scaring me Tak."

"Are you stupid? Have you really not worked out who the murderer is?" He asked and she let out a ragged breath in realisation.

"It's you," she said, sounding so betrayed as she looked up at him with fire in her eyes and gritted teeth.

"Congratulations Lumina, your prize is a fifty second head start, you'd better get running..." He told her with a malicious smile.

"But..." she whispered, her voice shaking.

"RUN!" He bellowed and she didn't stop to ask another question, she was off like a bullet.

Her shaking legs struggled to carry her as she felt the adrenaline rush to them, she had no idea where to go and it was dark. The panic hit her, she couldn't ask for help, not unless she wanted more blood on her hands, but she had no idea what to do, she couldn't outrun him forever and she couldn't hide forever either. Somehow she found herself running up to her old bedroom, breathing heavily. She hid in her closet, running through the evidence in her head, realising how stupid she had been. Takakura had been there for everything, he had lived near enough to shoot Muffy quickly and find his way in the dark without using light. The knife obviously belonged to him and he had been the one to give her all of the evidence.

Her heart almost stopped when she realised something else, he had _wanted _her to know it was him. She had no idea why, but she knew why he had helped her, he had wanted to know how much she knew, to decide if she was a threat or not. Obviously he had decided she was too much of a risk and tried to kill her the night he shot Muffy. Everything now seemed so clear and she couldn't believe she'd been so stupid. She felt a sick feeling in her stomach as she realised, she was going to die, she knew too much and he had to kill her to save his own skin.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," she heard his deep, terrifying voice echo through the mansion and she froze, her heart beating heavily. She could feel tears trickling down her face, knowing she didn't want to die and deciding that she wouldn't let herself, somehow she'd get out of this. She heard him enter the room and held her breath, wishing she hadn't chosen such an obvious hiding place. She could feel her hands sweating horribly as she tried to stop from moving, biting her lips until it almost bled and feeling her heart racing. She could see him through the crack as he searched underneath the bed.

She decided to make a break for it as he was on his knees, she threw open the cupboard door and dashed towards the windowsill, throwing the window open and thanking god it was unlocked. Takakura spotted her and turned on her with the gun, she hurried to the balcony ledge, gripping onto the drainpipe and heaving herself up. When Takakura went to grab her by the legs and pull her down she kicked the gun out of his hand, listening as it clattered to the ground.

"Get back here," he said as she crawled up onto the cold roof. The tiles grazed her skin painfully as she struggled up to the top where it was slightly flat, enough for her to stand up and struggle to make her way to the other side. The dark sky was inky ebony, with a splodge of white where the shining moon looked down upon the scene. Yet she could still see ahead of her on the dark, red tiles that held her escape route. She spotted him climb up and hurried to the other side, soon he was on the slightly flat area and coming after her.

"You may have taken my gun, but don't worry, I brought a knife." He told her, pulling out a shining dagger.

"Why are you doing this?" She begged, her voice high and filled with fear.

He laughed bitterly, his nostrils flaring, continuing to step towards her. "Because I wanted your grandmother's money to begin with, so I killed your parents to take them out of the will and took the locket, making a fake. It was a brilliant plan, and it went so well, but then I grew impatient, it seemed the old bitch would never die. So I poisoned her, and the money was mine, it seemed as though nothing would stand in my way." He said, as she backed away. His face darkened. "But you had to go and try to avenge your family, trying to find out who the murderer was. So I let you, hoping you'd give up, but you didn't, you needn't have been involved! But you stuck your nose in too far, so I had to kill you to cover my tracks. See once you get what you want, you have to fight to keep it."

"You don't have to do this, you could just turn yourself in..." she whispered, her eyes wide and begging. "You don't have to go this far."

He laughed, "Now why would I do that? See I brought you here on purpose, I helped you to find the murderer so I could get this over with."

"You don't want to do this," she told him, the tears of fear pouring from her wide eyes. She wanted someone to help her, but she had never felt so alone, she only had her own powers to help her. But he obviously couldn't be reasoned with.

"Yes, yes I do. I'll make it a quick death, I'll stab you then I'll push you and the pain will be over real soon. That's why I wanted to shoot you, but you left me no choice." He said with a shrug.

"Everyone has a choice," she said her voice firm and brave but carrying a sting.

"And I made mine years ago," he told her, he took another step closer. She kept her eyes on him and took another step back, but she was on the edge of the roof and she fell backwards, letting out a cry.

She managed to take a hold of the roof and pull herself slowly back up, breathing heavily from the effort. He took his chance to run towards her with the silvery knife, glinting in the moonlight, almost reaching her and pulling back his arm to shove the knife in hard. But she jumped to the side, sliding down the side of the roof and cutting her arms, blood beginning to flow from the wounds. She watched in horror as Takakura, losing his balance from the force he had put in to stab her, began to tumble down the roof. However he didn't manage to grab hold at the end and he tumbled down, she watched in panic as he tumbled towards her, knocking into her and pulling them both down to the bottom of the roof.

She barely managed to grab hold at the bottom and watched as Takakura tried to take hold but missed and fell. She looked down, it was a huge distance to the bottom and the ground began to swim out of focus. She saw Takakura hit his head against the side of the balcony with a sickening crunch, crimson blood smearing on the side, and falling to the ground in a crippled mess, she closed her eyes tightly. She took a deep breath, her entire body shaking as she tried to heave herself up, her hand landed on a pile of moss and she slipped, falling a small distance but barely managing to grab on the side of the balcony, the cool limestone smacking hard against her hand, she felt her fingers break and yelled in pain.

"Please, someone help," she whispered as she felt her broken fingers give up and let her fall, soaring to the ground, screaming loudly. She landed hard on the ground, just in time for Rock to run over and see her fallen body, her arms spread out like the wings of an angel and her body illuminated in the pale eyes of the moon.

* * *

Kind of a cliffhanger, so do you want me to continue? 


	29. Fiction

Hey guys, sorry that I've taken so long to update, and I apologise for worrying any of you that I might not finish, that would be really wrong. So, slowly at least, I am going to finish this.

Sorry that I can't reply to all of your reviews, I'm not any less grateful and I promise to mention names and reply to any burning questions every few chapters, it just takes **such **a long time to write replies, and with all my school work I really don't have the time.

So anyway those are all my apologies, and I'm going to do my best to continue this, I promise!

Also, I apologise if these chapters seem a little weird, I wrote them a while back and didn't have time to post...

* * *

29. Fiction

Rock sat on the chair, shifting uncomfortably on the rough fabric and trying to mould his body comfortably against the metal frame. His tired eyes scanned the table in front of him, piled high with American magazines with pictures of the beautiful people living the scandalous life. He closed his eyes for a moment, he was so _tired_, but he was always tired lately, he hadn't slept properly since that night. He couldn't sleep without _her_. He could still picture her soft smile in his mind and hear the melodic sound of her voice, he could even still smell that cinnamon smell that seemed to waft from her chestnut hair.

A serious voice broke into his memories and his eyes widened. "Mr. Pyrite, I presume."

Rock nodded, looking up at the man who had spoken. He looked roughly the same as all the other doctors, dressed in a white lab coat, stethoscope thrown around his neck like a scarf and an I.D badge that stated his name: Dr. Phillips. The only difference between him and any of the other doctors was his shining bald head, what a misfortune to lose all his hair, probably stress induced.

"Your wife..."

"Girlfriend," Rock broke in, not knowing why he felt the need to clarify that, maybe it was just something to say to deter the news. He'd had nothing but bad news since that night a month ago when he had found his love spread out on the ground. He had of course panicked and found Hardy straight away and they had done what they could for her.

"Miss Silverstone's condition has not improved, she's comatose Mr. Pyrite, and there seems to be little chance of her waking up," He informed Rock professionally, how could he sound so calm when telling this news? Rock felt his heart sink, as it did every time he was told the exact same thing by every doctor who decided to check up on her. "However we will continue to keep her alive and do what we can."

"So there's a chance?" Rock asked hopefully and the doctor let out a deep sigh. He scanned his clipboard again, looking at her vitals and her brain scans.

"There appears to be no reason she _shouldn't_ wake up, except she shows no sign of attempting to do so. But her brain is undamaged, a miracle from falling from that height," Dr. Phillips said, but the serious expression remained on his face. _Miracle_, that was what every doctor said it was, but Rock couldn't see how. "And merely a few broken limbs, she is practically healed; even her back seems to have mended nicely."

"So why won't she wake up?" He asked, his voice still desperate, his tired eyes pleading for some signs of hope.

"We can't tell, but we'll keep her alive for as long as we can." He promised. "You may see her now,"

As always after waiting in the waiting room, Rock would go and buy her flowers first, to replace the ones that had only been placed there the week before, it was a ritual that allowed him to brace himself. He arrived back at the big white door that marked her room, a bunch of coloured daisies in his hand. He stopped for a moment, breathing in the far too clean smell of hospital, and looking at the marker for the room. It had to be someone's idea of a sick joke to place her in this room, number 101, maybe this room was the reason for her illness... but she'd been in other rooms, with other numbers, and she still showed no signs of drifting back to the land of the living.

He pushed open the door, observing the light lavender walls with distaste; they were so pale they were almost white, as though to feign a jollier atmosphere. He avoided looking at Lumina for a moment, observing something else in the room, _anything_ else in the room, but the room only contained the bed, a small dressing table on which he placed the flowers and a small painting of a simple flower; apparently this room was not meant to be viewed much by the occupant. He turned to face her, flinching as he always did at the sight of her pale body, looking almost dead. Her lips were so pale they were almost blue and her unkempt hair straggled around her face, thin hairs trailing over her tightly shut eyes, with grey bags surrounding them.

"Good morning honey," he said softly, placing a kiss on her cool cheek. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." He joked weakly, helping him to pretend that maybe she was only sleeping. The only thing to add to his fiction was the gentle rise and fall of her chest, as deep breaths still came to her.

"If you wake up I'll show you the flowers I bought..." He coaxed, but he knew it was no good, there was nothing he could do except talk to her. He took a seat in the chair next to her, surveying her small body with a deep sadness. Then his whole body was racked in a sob and the built up tears were let out.

Every visit was the same, he would arrive, make his little jokes, then cry his eyes out. Finally he would tell her everything that had happened, which was never much as his life now revolved around her vegetative half-life. Now Tim, Ruby and him had moved to the states, they were managing to make ends meet and pay for her hospital fees. They rented a small apartment, and each of them would work every day, mostly for the money but partly to take their minds of her. Ruby was the chef at a small restaurant called "_the Spicy Dragon" _and Tim worked as the assistant manager of some fast food restaurant. Meanwhile Rock was stuck as a life guard at some swimming pool, because apparently a trained life guard would be too expensive. But at least they had taught him some basic first aid, which meant that he wouldn't end up killing some poor drown victim.

Even with their busy new lives in the city, they missed the valley and they missed everything that their lives had once been. But Lumina was their life, and if she needed the very best doctors, that was what she would get, there was no way they were willing to let her go. At least the Pyrite family still received letters from Vesta letting them know roughly what was going on in the valley, but they were sure there was much more to speak of. Rock would tell Lumina what was going on, even if she wasn't listening or even hearing what he was saying, at least he felt he was helping her in some small way. But it was still hard to talk of life in the valley that he missed so much.

* * *

Celia giggled loudly, before covering her mouth quickly and hiding back beneath the fort she had made out of the bags of compost. Gustafa returned with her, kissing her to stifle a laugh. 

"Shh, we don't want Vesta to hear," he whispered, stroking a hand through her chestnut hair that smelt suspiciously of drugs, weed to be precise, his favourite scent.

"No, no of course not," she whispered, shaking her head and suppressing another giggle. Then her face turned serious and her grey eyes seemed to turn darker, more of a dark brown colour. "Gustafa, do you ever feel... guilty?"

His smile faded and he converted to the solemn tone of the conversation, leaning back against a compost bag, his eyes meeting hers sternly. "All the time,"

She sorted out her hair again and buttoned up the last few buttons of her dress, glad that Marlin was away in town so that he wouldn't see her looking like this. "Then _why _are we doing this? I love Marlin and you love Nami..."

Gustafa looked down, thinking deeply. He had often reflected the answer to that question, whilst playing his guitar or sitting to watch the fluffy clouds stream across the sky as though racing playfully. But he couldn't quite discern an answer, of course he loved Nami, more than the world, and he'd rather die than hurt her. Yet he found her company somewhat... overpowering, everything she said was so deep and meaningful and everything about her was so striking. Even her thin, angular figure and her sharp blue eyes were harsh, yet beautiful in their extremity. It was what he loved about her, her stubbornness and her refusal to give in, her courage, even her silence was stunning; there was nothing he'd change about her.

But Celia was completely different, in personality and in looks. In place of Nami's boyish figure was a curvy yet slim figure and her soft, brownish-grey eyes held warmth in them, like the dark part of a flame. She was so caring, so loving and although she was not exactly deep, neither was she shallow. She was down-to-earth and she put others first, willing to compromise and allowing for talk about pointless nothings. Nami spoke when absolutely necessary, she glared at stupidity and even though she and Gustafa seemed joined at the soul, she was still unpredictable as the autumn weather. Around Nami he felt awed, complete and part of something bigger but with Celia he felt warm and cherished, he had fun. He knew Nami was his soul mate and if asked, he would always put her first, but he loved the time with Celia to take off the pressure.

"It's fun and somehow it makes me happy," came his answer, stating how meaningless their relationship was and yet showing he didn't want it to end. Celia nodded, she knew their relationship wasn't about love or any feeling that went deeper than a good time, and surprisingly she was okay with that.

She loved Marlin for his brooding ways and for his dependency on her, she loved feeling needed and like she was the only one who could cheer him up. She was a mother by nature and Marlin was in need of mother, Gustafa needed no such thing. Marlin was cold a lot of the time, his azure eyes reflected the deep blue depression of his soul, but she liked knowing she could warm him, and when he was warmed he seemed to glow, like light shining through a sapphire. He was strong too, not only physically but mentally, he had been through a hell of a lot and he had retained some wisdom so that he guided her a lot of the time, but she liked having someone's example to live by. She loved the fact that her husband was her role model and that she always felt safe and protected when she was with him, and loved. His love was a rare thing to receive, which was what made it extra special, like platinum.

Gustafa was the opposite, although he held wisdom, it was the sort that didn't guide or help in anyway, merely pointing out something you might now have noticed before. He was never brooding, merely calm and relaxed, he needed no one to care for him, because nature would do that for him. She didn't feel needed, not like with Marlin, and of course she didn't feel loved. Even if she did she would not consider it special, Gustafa threw his love around as though it were flowers, sweet to receive but not something you'd expect to hold onto, unless you had never before received some like Nami, who had taken his love and pressed it in the scrapbook of her heart. Gustafa didn't need her warmth, he was constantly at the temperature that he liked most and needed no warming, she knew she wasn't anything special to him, but they had fun and she liked that. She liked Gustafa because it gave her a break, a break from being responsible and living by rules and a break from being needed, she was wanted, but not compulsory.

"I feel the same," she replied, content with their understanding and placing a kiss to his lips. She knew that there would be consequences if they didn't give up this affair soon, but she would cross that bridge when they came to it.

* * *

Jack dropped the letter as though it was on fire, he had read it over for the eleventh time, it was yet another letter from Rock. Ever since the first one he had received, god knows how Rock had found out where he was (though the inn at Mineral town seemed to be where everyone went and wasn't exactly surprising), Rock had been mailing him more, commenting on Lumina's progress... or lack of it. Every letter Jack would burn after reading it thoroughly, wishing he could go to the States and see Lumina himself. But he knew it was the last thing anyone needed: the ex-boyfriend who had lost two lovers to the same murderer and had disappeared completely in their time of need and added more pressure to Lumina, yeah that'd be a real help. He scrunched the letter up in his fist, fighting back tears that never seemed to come. 

"Another letter," the sunset haired innkeepers daughter stated after seeing his reaction. She wrapped a thin arm around him and pulled him into a rough hug, everything she did was a tomboyish thing.

"Should I go to America, Ann?" He asked her, as he did every time he received a letter.

"Hell no! And put them under more stress, wait till she wakes up!" Ann said, giving the reason she always did. Always concealing her true reason, she wanted him to stay, forever if possible.

"You're right Ann," he said with a weak smile. "Besides, I'd miss you too much." That comment spread a pink blush across her face, her eyes darting quickly to look at something else. He waited for a reply so she settled for her usual tomboyish punch on the arm.

"Aw shucks! Well sure me and Dad would miss the company too," she smiled, adding her father in there to take the personal feeling away. Jack smiled, he always found it cute how she would blush at every little joke he made about anything other than friendly feelings towards her. Truly he found that his feelings for her were definitely growing, but with his track record with women, it'd be safer for her if they remained friends.

"Anyway, there's a festival this Friday that I am _not_ going alone to" he said, at least he could still ask her out as a friend... "Ann... go with me?" He put on a whiney voice and a cute face, which always got results.

"Fine, if you quit your belly aching!" She replied curtly, but with a secretly happy smile on her face.

* * *

Lumina could feel the warmth all around her that had been a constant for... however long she'd been in wherever the hell she was. Time was non-existent wherever it was and she had been drifting in some strange, dreamlike world. She felt warm, safe and loved, but yet something wasn't right, she felt trapped. 

"Where am I?" She asked, her voice echoing across the plain of wherever she was. For as far as she could see were sunset coloured clouds, soft and fluffy yet like the rolling hills of a desert. The sky was pale pink and there was no sun or moon or anything really, just expanse. "Is this heaven?"

"Not exactly," she heard a familiar voice and whirled around, unable to see where it came from. Out of nowhere appeared a woman that she recognised but hadn't seen in person for so long, her mother.

"Am I dead?" She asked, not sounding worried about it, it was hard to feel anything wherever she was.

"Not exactly... you're sleeping, but you're in such a deep sleep you can't wake up. You're trapped." Her mother told her in her gentle, soothing voice.

"What's trapping me?" She asked in confusion and her mother frowned.

"You are my dear, you're holding onto your imagination. But it's more than that, this is a mixture of imagination and reality, this is limbo." Her mother explained and it was Lumina's turn to frown.

"So is any of this real? Are you real?" She asked, looking around at her unrealistic surroundings.

"It seems unreal, but it's a mixture, it's a mixture of life and death, real and unreal, freedom and restriction, imagination and limbo." Her mother explained, of course Lumina couldn't be sure, but it didn't matter whether she believed or not, what mattered was getting away.

"But I want to leave, so how can I be trapping myself?" She pointed out, making her point by pinching herself in order to wake up.

"Because a part of you wants to stay, to find out about your loved ones that have passed over and to be safe. Your mind has sealed you away from the pain of living, the trauma won't let you escape, not yet." The golden eyes of her mother surveyed her kindly. "Not until you see the good in this world that you are forgetting."

"I know the good, the good is Rock!" She shouted back stubbornly.

"Yes, he is the tie that holds you to this world, but it is not enough to break through, you need more."

Lumina sighed, gazing around the empty expanse of the place, everything was the colour of a sunset and everything was warm and bright. "So how am I supposed to see the good then?"

"I am going to show you."

"Oh, that's helpful then... could we get on with it?" She asked, not meaning to be rude to her mother, but finding the situation a little too hopeless.

"Yes of course, let me show you everything good in your life..." her mother said, offering her smooth, glowing hand to Lumina which she accepted immediately.

* * *

Rock watched her a little while longer, unable to take his eyes off her still form, wishing it would be animated once again. 

"Do you wonder what it's like?" A man asked, walking into the room. He was dressed in blue scrubs and so Rock assumed he was a doctor or nurse of some kind, reading the name tag he realised he had assumed correctly: Adam Phillips.

"Living in a permanent imagination, where everything is nothing more than fiction?" Adam clarified and Rock nodded. "I'm Dr. Phillip's son by the way." He held out a hand which Rock shook slowly, his eyes darting back to Lumina almost immediately.

"I wonder all the time, can she even hear me?" Rock asked, looking doubtfully at the little fallen angel.

"Sometimes, chances are she's barely aware of what's going on around her, she can probably hear but not discern what is being said. But anything has a chance of helping her wake up, so keep talking to her." Adam suggested kindly, before running a hand through a thick mop of dark hair.

"I couldn't stop, it's the only thing that gets me through." He admitted, his dark eyes shining lovingly onto Lumina's pale face. He held back a sob, wishing he could be strong for his family's sake, but they all knew how difficult he found it.

"I... I wish I could tell you that she will wake up, but we don't know, she _should _wake up. It's like she's in the deep sleep to escape reality, and you should talk, to bring her back." Adam said, he was really only a helper in the hospital, mainly speaking to the patients, so his views were more philosophical than medical.

"Thanks," Rock said numbly, not even looking at him any more, too absorbed with watching his statue of a girlfriend.

* * *

"So what are you planning to show me...; my memories, my future, what's happening around me?" Lumina asked with curiosity, she was interested to know how her mother was planning to take her back. As much as she wanted to go home, she still wanted to spend some time with her mother, whether she was real or just imagination, and the time they spent would be precious. 

"A mixture, yet none specifically; I am going to show you the people in your life and in what way they need you, and how much they love you." She said, smiling softly. "So first I'll take you around the valley."

Suddenly the cloudy scene zoomed past them and they were standing in the valley, but it was not the valley as Lumina had left it. A few of the houses were not there, and every house that was there looked brand new, even the mansion looked clean and fresh.

"Where is this?" She asked, looking around at the valley in its earlier form. The cobbles of the only street were less worn and protruded more, they were still a dull grey but they were rougher and had not been buffered by the passing of feet over time.

"I'm surprised you don't remember, this is Forget-Me-Not valley twelve years ago, you would have been six and had lived here for a few years then." Her mother, led her gently by the hand up to the mansion, where scales could be heard played on a grand piano. Lumina's heart lurched when she saw Romana, old even then, but less so; it was good to see her when she was alive. "This is merely a memory of her, but later I will let you meet her again."

Lumina surveyed the room, a great many of the artefacts accumulated over the years had not been bought yet, and so it looked rather barer than it did in her own time. Lumina then cast her gaze over her younger self, a small white dress clung to her petite frame and the innocence of youth surrounded her like a veil. Her chubby cheeks dimpled as she smiled, tiny fingers skittering across the keys of the piano, often making mistakes, but she would merely laugh them off.

"So who am I supposed to be seeing?" Lumina asked her mother who smiled.

"Patience my dear," she replied. Soon she saw the person who needed her, Sebastian shuffled out with a tray in his handed, handing her younger self a plate with a slice of cake. Romana frowned at him and he smiled back, handing her a cup of tea.

"You'll ruin her appetite," Romana pointed out, folding her arms over her chest and trying to remain firm as Sebastian smiled sheepishly.

"Oh it won't harm her, you'll eat dinner anyway, won't you Lumina?"

Young Lumina nodded hastily, backing up the man she saw as a father figure. "Thank you Sebastian!"

Romana sighed and gave a nod that it was okay that Lumina ate the cake. "I know you care for her as if she were your own."

"Of course, she's my little light, I don't know what I'd do without my angel!"

Young Lumina beamed at him, biting into her cake and letting Sebastian wrap his arms around her.

Lumina looked upon her memory with bittersweet feelings on her face, she could not believe that she had actually suspected Sebastian. She should have apologised, but she was too comatose to do it and she knew she couldn't let herself die without apologising to him first.

"Right, what's next?"


	30. Wake Up

Hey guys, thanks for still reviewing, even though I really haven't been a good writer lately...

I just wanted to tell you that I've finished planning this fanfiction, right through to the (hopefully satisfactory) end. So I'm looking to write about 19 more chapters.

Thanks again homies!

* * *

30. Wake Up 

Rock walked down the street, his feet feeling heavy as he cast his eyes down at the floor. He was on his way back home, the night had fallen fast and the stars shone like pinpricks of light in a black sheet. The cars, which he was only just growing used to, drove slowly past, the headlights glowing like the eyes of large demons. His eyes were so focused on the floor that he didn't realise when he bumped into an old friend.

"Sebastian," he greeted, a look of surprise on his face. The old man seemed to have grown older over the months; his weak smile crinkled his lips more now.

"Is she...?" Sebastian asked, his old eyes tired, but he looked ready to accept painful truths.

"She's still... alive, but..." Rock couldn't even finish, he didn't want to say what they both knew could be a possibility, her death. Sebastian nodded in understanding, looking at the heavy rain clouds in the sky. "What are you doing here?"

Sebastian slipped his shaking hands into the deep pockets of his long, black coat, biting his lip. "I... I felt I needed to be here...finally."

Rock nodded, in truth he wasn't sure what the butler could do, but he knew what it was like to want to feel needed. He knew he probably wasn't any help to his sleeping angel, but it helped to feel he was doing something. "I'm sure just hearing your voice will help."

Sebastian nodded, they both knew the spoken words were a lie, but they helped. He swallowed hard, to force down the tears that he could feel coming, he looked away. When he had composed himself he looked back and found Rock was staring at the floor, they barely registered when the fat, dark clouds burst and poured their reserves upon them. The rain fell heavily, giant bullets of water plummeting down; Sebastian brought out a black umbrella and held it over both of them.

"Where are you staying?" Rock asked, needing to fill the almost silence, so that the patter of the rain was not the only sound.

"A hotel nearby, are you headed home?" He asked and Rock nodded. A weak smile each said all the goodbyes they needed as they both parted ways.

* * *

"You're kidding?!" Lumina's voice boomed around the infinite space of her imagination, yet her mother remained totally composed. 

"You're going to have to forgive him eventually..." her mother pointed out, her soft arm wrapped around her half-living daughter.

"He killed my parents, he killed Romana, he killed Muffy and he may just have murdered me too! How am I supposed to forgive him?" She demanded, clenching her fists at her side to stop from throwing a punch at something, and since there were no walls for miles around, the clouded floor looked pretty good.

"That's for you to figure out," her mom said unhelpfully and Lumina pouted. "Look, you won't be able to wake up until you do, so at least think about it."

"You're killing me," Lumina said sarcastically and her mom shook her head.

"I have many things to show you to convince you that you're needed back there,"

"Let's get this show on the road, then." Lumina suggested, folding her arms over her chest in an unimpressed manner.

"I did _not _teach you that stubbornness," her mother said with a teasing smile and Lumina looked at her with some sadness. _"You didn't teach me at all," _she thought bitterly and her thoughts were verbalised in an echo all around the space. She clapped her hands over her mouth, looking guiltily at the slight look of pain on her mother's beautiful face.

"No, and I'm trying to make it up to you," she said softly and Lumina nodded, guilty enough to stay silent. "So next I'm going to show you Ruby and Tim, let's go."

They arrived in the kitchen of the inn and Lumina could smell the warm, delicate spices: the delicious smell of Ruby's cooking. The short dumpy woman entered, she arranged some of the bright red, spiced food on one of the plates. Lumina then recognised herself of about a year ago, eyes filled with tears.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Ruby asked, her kind brown eyes surveying the girl, she placed a podgy hand on her slender shoulder.

"I... I don't want to talk about it," Lumina said tearfully, a shaking hand placed over her mouth. Ruby nodded, appreciating the girl's privacy, she hugged her and tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear.

"Well whatever it is honey, you're strong enough to deal with it." Ruby assured her and Lumina smiled slightly through the tears.

"You think so?" She sniffed, taking a tissue that Ruby handed her.

"I know so, you've got a courage in you, and it's catchy. I was never that courageous but with you living under my roof, I feel braver every day." Ruby told her and Lumina wrapped her arms around the woman, using her as a giant pillow. "Now why don't you go up to bed and I'll bring you a hot drink."

Lumina nodded and retreated up the stairs. Coma Lumina followed Ruby and watched as she made herbal tea and carried it up the steps. The short woman pushed open the door and peaked inside, she smiled at the girl's sleeping form and placed the tea on her bedside table.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Ruby smiled and kissed her on the head.

The memory fizzled out and Lumina felt the pearl like tears on her face, remembering the moment, remembering the pain she had felt after discovering Marlin didn't return her feelings. But she had never heard Ruby say that, and it touched her barely beating heart, almost recharging it.

"You see, you're needed." Damini, her mother, told her. Lumina nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, who's next?" She asked and Damini smiled.

* * *

"No improvement?" Sebastian checked with Dr. Phillips who shook his head sadly. 

"Most coma victims wake up during the first couple of weeks if they wake up at all, I'm not saying there's no chance... but it's a possibility." The doctor admitted, he hated telling this old man that his... grand daughter might die, she was so young.

"Thank you for your help Doctor," the man said with a sigh, before collapsing in one of the uncomfortable chairs of the waiting room.

Sebastian gazed up at the ceiling, painted dismal white, but so long ago that the paint had greyed and he could swear he saw spatters of blood.

"Sebastian," he looked up to see Ruby smiling at him.

"Ruby... it's been too long..." he said politely, offering her a hand which she ignored and hugged him instead. He always marvelled that she was such a warm person, she was like a human radiator and she could make anybody feel welcome.

"It has, hasn't it? I suppose you've heard about Lumina..." Ruby choked out, placing a hand on her lips to try and hold back the cries of pain. "I just... I miss her so much." The tears came pouring out and Sebastian patted her arm awkwardly, unsure of how best to comfort her.

"She... she'll get better," he told her, with far more conviction than he felt. She nodded, composing herself, she then muttered something about coffee and waddled off.

"Sebastian?" Tim asked with surprise, clapping his hand on the back of the old man amiably.

"It's good to see you Tim,"

"Likewise... I suppose you've heard... how are you finding America?" Tim asked, trying to change the subject, perhaps onto one where he could use on of his stories. People seemed to love to hear his stories of exotic places, and equally he loved to tell them, never tiring of it.

"I've just arrived, how about you?" Sebastian replied and Tim took a deep breath, his eyes lighting slightly for the first time in a long time.

* * *

"Where are we?" Lumina asked her mother, who merely gestured around her, in the easily recognisable room they had found themselves in. 

Lumina looked at the scene before her, she could see herself sitting in bed alone, and seemingly unable to sleep. She watched as the younger version of herself tossed and turned in bed, mulling over the thoughts of the day, but unable to forget them. She heard the door creak open and watched herself sit up, now alert. Tim entered, searching around through the dark room, his large body making the floor creak and give him away.

"Who's there?" Lumina asked, looking up from the bed at the man.

"It's me Lu... unable to sleep?" He asked, switching on the bedside light and sitting down next to her, watching with pity as she squinted in the light.

"Yeah, haven't been able to for a while." She admitted, sitting cross-legged and smiling weakly at him.

"Ahh... I find when you're tired it's good to forget all of your problems and just... think about something else." He explained, and she nodded. "I could always tell you a story..." he suggested hopefully. She smiled; she knew how much he loved to tell stories, so she made herself comfortable on the bed and closed her eyes.

Tim began his tales, his journey to Africa, he described to her the black-flecked, golden furred cheetahs that roamed the dry, green plains of the savannah, hunting for the black horned gazelle. He told her of Antarctica, where it was so cold in the ice deserts that even tears turned to ice. He told of how the penguins, in their little black waistcoats clumsily waddled across the chalk white ground and then dived so elegantly into the rolling ocean, as though they were synchronised swimmers. He then told her about how he met Ruby, how beautiful she looked in the kimono she had worn, and how she was still so beautiful.

Before long the Lumina of the past was sleeping soundly, Tim smiled down at her and placed a hand on her little cheek, he then turned off the light and left her in dreamland.

"I remember that..." Lumina told Damini, beaming at the memory. "Is there anyone else you want to show me?"

"Well before I show you more people who miss you, I was wondering, would you like to see Muffy, Romana and Nina?" Damini offered, Lumina's face brightened further with the chance to meet her dead friends again.

The clouds seemed to brighten further as she felt her friends' warm presence all around her, giving her strength. She could see the shimmering blonde hair belonging to Muffy, that now seemed golden since her transition to being an angel. Nina and Romana both looked so healthy and young and Lumina now felt slightly shy at their celestial greatness.

"Don't be so shy Lu, it's still me!" Muffy exclaimed throwing her glowing arms around Lumina in a gesture that relaxed her immediately.

"So you forgive me?" Lumina asked hopefully and Muffy smiled, touching her cheek with an angelic hand.

"There's nothing to forgive Lu, when I died I saw everything for the truth, and the truth is, my death wasn't your fault." Muffy told her, with a radiant smile.

"Thanks... Romana..." Lumina said softly, turning to her grandmother and allowed herself into a hug once again. She suddenly felt the most complete she had in a while; surrounded by the people she had loved, and still loved even with their absence from her life. They each told her how proud they were and shared some jokes and told her about what it was like being dead.

"But you really must forgive Tak," Romana said eventually, breaking the laughter with the words everyone had known was coming.

"He killed you! How can I forgive him?" Lumina asked, sounding exasperated, she folded her arms stubbornly.

"Look Lumina, I know you don't want to forgive him, but it's the only way to release yourself, your mind needs you to do this... otherwise you'll die." Romana told her but Lumina remained obstinate, closing her eyes to block out the worried faces of the angels. Eventually she opened them again, letting out the fire of anger that was burning in them.

"I can't forgive him for what he's done, I can't see why he'd do it!" She said and the others sighed.

"Didn't he tell you? He explained everything to you, he made some mistakes, but he wasn't a bad man..." Nina said and Lumina shook her head, Nina was always trying to see the best in people.

"He killed people for money," Lumina spat, amazed that they could forgive him so readily. "He doesn't deserve forgiveness."

The angels exchanged glances worriedly, they knew that Lumina's life depended on her decision to forgive him or not, but she was remaining stubborn.

* * *

"Wake up," Rock whispered, his lips placed gently on Lumina's ear. He had to hope that somehow she would hear him, it was the only thing that gave him any reason to try to reach her. He sighed, she didn't even flinch, he tucked strands of her tousled hair behind her ear and kissed her on the cheek. He swallowed hard, listening to the gentle whirring of the hospital machinery, he shut his eyes tightly and wished to block out the world. 

"If I could trade places with you... I would you know," he promised, his hand lingering over her cheek as he touched her cold face. "You know you can't let go, I'll deal with having a statue for a girlfriend, but I will never move on."

"She'd want you to, you know," the kind voice of his mother tickled his ear and he nodded.

"Yeah... as long as she's still alive, I'll wait, perhaps even if she dies... but she won't." He said hurriedly, he couldn't let himself hear that there was even a possibility without breaking down. "Please wake up,"

* * *

"Wow Ann you're looking fetching this evening..." Jack stated to the carrot haired girl who was busy serving tables. 

"What do you want Jack? I already agreed to go to the festival with you..." She told him, placing her hands on her thin hips.

"I know, but I'm just making sure you don't back out." He replied, taking some plates out of her hand and delivering them to the customers.

"I won't, I don't want to go alone any more than you, ya know." She informed him and he smiled.

"So I'll pick you up at six this evening?" He asked with a grin and she looked confused.

"Pick me up?! I live here..."

"Hush... you'll see." He said, placing a finger to his lips to silence her. She merely shrugged and continued her work.

Later that evening Jack arrived at the inn, dressed in his very smartest clothes, which consisted of black pants and a shirt, after all, farmers didn't need nice clothes. He held out a bunch of fragrant, newly picked flowers and held them out proudly to his date. Ann looked doubtfully at him, one hand on her hip, she then looked shyly down at her own attire. She was wearing her usual dungarees with the same old shirt and her hair was plaited, just like normal. She had decided to wear her usual clothes, he'd said it wasn't a date and so she had assumed she should dress casual.

"Oooh... erm... yeah... I'm late getting ready... so I'll er... change." She said, flushing nervously. "You wait there."

She darted up the stairs and tore open her wardrobe door, it was filled with dungarees. So she thrust them aside and reached deep into the darkest depths of her wardrobe, she eventually pulled out a dress of sky blue that had once belonged to her mother. She slipped it on and let her hair down, frowning sceptically at her appearance, but deciding it would have to do.

"_Why should I care anyway?" _she asked herself. _"It's not like this is a date..." _

Jack was standing downstairs, tapping his feet impatiently, but his jaw almost hit the floor when he saw Ann standing there looking nervous. He couldn't help thinking how cute she looked when she was shy, but he liked her too much to _like _her, he didn't want to ever hurt this one.

"You're so amazing," the words slipped out of his mouth like butter and he bit his lip, she blushed red and walked quickly down the stairs.

She passed him and punched him on the arm, "hurry up, we're late." She pointed out, walking out of the door and leaving him rubbing his arm in confusion.

"But you're the one who spent forever getting ready," he complained, shaking his head with puzzlement.

* * *

"So what now?" Lumina asked, gazing around at her deceased friends who were all looking slightly shifty. 

"I'm afraid it's come down to the crunch, Lu." Muffy said, shaking her golden head, her glowing, green eyes sympathetic. Lumina looked confused and turned to her mother, her expression was firm.

"You have to see Takakura and apologise to him," Damini admitted, looking incredibly guilty, as though she were a criminal being interviewed by the bad cop.

"I've already told you no! And how am I supposed to see him, he's out there!" She gestured to show that she meant outside the supposed dream world that her mind had created.

"He died Lumina, didn't you see?" Her mother asked worriedly, and Lumina's heart sank as she recalled the night. As much as she hated Takakura with every fibre in her being, his death softened her, she had made it and he hadn't. She then shrugged maliciously, with a slight twitch of her lips.

"Karma," she said softly, folding her arms and watching with mild satisfaction the looks on her loved ones faces.

"Well you can talk to him yourself," Nina told her, pointing over at the man that Lumina felt nothing but venom towards. She stood, breathing heavily to restrain herself, watching as his dark eyes widened, looking like a frightened cat.

"You," she accused through gritted teeth, stepping towards him quickly and reaching out to strangle him. But before she reached him she collapsed, her knees weakening beneath her. "What happened?"

"The more you hold onto your anger, the closer you are to death; your anger weakens you." Damini explained as calmly as she could. Lumina stood up, her legs shaking, the spite in her brown eyes like rusty knives.

"Why should I forgive you? You pretended to be my friend! You lied to me, you killed my family, stole my fortune and tried to kill me!" She said and he looked at her with no emotion, making her want to scream with anger.

"You should forgive me because it is what you have to do." He said calmly. "Your situation is very like my own was."

"I am nothing like you," she declared, spitting out poison passionately. He remained completely composed as he watched her.

"Do you want to listen?" He asked and she immediately shook her head stubbornly. "Do you want to die?"

She was silenced for a moment as she licked her lips bitterly. "Fine, say what you have to say."

"Very well, like it or not missy, you have to forgive me or you will end up _dead_. It is much like my situation, because this is something you don't want to do, don't think you can do and know it goes against everything you stand for... but you need to. If you're going to get what you want, your life, then you have to be prepared to give up the dignity you cling to." He told her, a smirk on his face that told her he was enjoying her suffering.

"How is that like you?" She asked in a low, cold voice and he chuckled.

"I didn't want to kill, but I had to, for the money. I had to be prepared to give up everything for that fortune, because it was what I wanted... no what I _needed_. It's the same situation." He told her with satisfaction and she glared, refusing to agree with him.

"But I'm not going to kill anyone, and what I need is _life _not something so stupid as money. No fortune is worth a life!" She yelled and he looked at her, his eyes seemingly burning into her skin.

"There are some fortunes that are..."

"Something so stupid as money..." She shook her head condescendingly and he laughed bitterly.

"Bite your tongue before you know the facts, treasure isn't all silver and gold, rich girl. I needed that money to give to the love of my life, she was in hospital with an incurable disease. Only support machines were keeping her alive and without money they would shut it off and I have no insurance! I couldn't let her die..." He shouted and Lumina felt her stomach lurch with the truth.

"So you killed my family to save yours," she spat and he nodded.

"We do what we have to do, it doesn't matter anyway, my wife died. When she found out about my death, she gave up on life." He said with aching sadness and Lumina looked at him resentfully through her tears.

"Now you know what it's like to lose someone you love. I can empathise with you, but I can't forgive you." She told him, turning away and trying to walk through the cloudy expanse. But she felt her knees weaken and she collapsed to the floor, her mind in darkness.

* * *

Rock could feel his heart beating to the same beat of the machines in Lumina's room, she was fading fast and they had done their best to revive her. 

"She's almost gone, it's time for a decision." The doctor told him and Rock looked at his helpless little angel, so frail and now close to death.

"Keep her alive!" He begged and the Doctor nodded pressing metal pads to her chest then sending a volt through the life machine. Rock felt his whole body tense, waiting to see if they had managed to revive her.

"She's not going to survive at all without the machines. We're going to have to turn it off." Dr. Phillips said with a grimace. Rock shook his head, his mouth unable to work from the shock. "You have to let her go,"

"I can't live without you," Rock whispered, tears trickling down his face as he watched the doctor turn off the machines.

* * *

"_I can't live without you," _Rock's voice echoed through the plains of her mind, reviving her enough to stand up, filled with a new kind of courage. This courage was enough to forget pride, vengeance and anger and to realise that Takakura was only a human. 

He was a human put in the situation where it was possible his wife would die, and he couldn't live without her, he was in the position where he would do anything to save her. She meant more than life itself to him, more than the other people he loved and so he did what he had to do. He had been right, Lumina realised, they were in the same situation, she would do whatever it took to save Rock and to do that, she had to save herself and forgive Takakura.

"Takakura," she said softly, and he looked at her with understanding. "I forgive you..."

She gasped for air as her whole world went black, her world spiralling away from her.

* * *

"She's gone, it's too late." The Doctor said softly, switching off the machine and watching for her vital statistics to fall. Rock watched helplessly, squeezing tightly onto his girlfriends tiny hands. 

"I'd kill to get you back..." He whispered.


	31. Treasures

I don't seem to have too much to say up here this installment, and I would leave it at nothing, but that seems so impersonal... and you guys deserve better than that.

So erm... I'll just thank the reviewers once again, your input is appreciated very, very much.

Cheers all

X

* * *

31. Treasures 

The darkness was unbearably suppressing, but everything was numb, almost pleasantly so. A bright, white light followed the darkness, a light that warmed the soul and felt like the heat of home. All too soon Lumina felt herself pulled from the light and sent into a place of pain and suffering, her tiny body felt like it had been beaten a merciless amount of times, her first thought was, _"is this hell?"_

"Clear!" Someone shouted and she felt electricity flow through her body, making her insides ache as though they had been sent through a spin cycle of a washing machine. "We did it, she's breathing."

Lumina took a deep breath through her lungs so that they felt like they might burst, they felt so unused and ached painfully. She took another breath, it was still painful, less so, but each breath was still dizzying.

"Inject some pain killers in quickly, she's about to pass out from shock."

Soon she was numb again, but this was different from the darkness, now she could hear the whirring of machines and the sounds of other people. She kept her eyes closed tightly, wondering what kind of hell she was in, her mind could focus on nothing else but the fear, until eventually it gave up on the waking world again.

* * *

Rock gasped with relief taking her hand and watching her eyelids flicker. She was breathing less deeply now, still fast asleep but no longer comatose. 

"Thank god, I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, he could feel the heat radiating off her body, heat that came with life. Eventually her eyelids fluttered and her beautiful golden eyes surveyed him with confusion. She licked her dry lips to dampen them and Rock put a glass of water against her lips and helped her drink. He then ran a hand over her forehead, pushing back her tousled hair from her face, her skin was still pale as death but no longer practically transparent.

"Rock..." she whispered, remaining still except for a gentle squeeze of his hand.

"You're awake," he stated with a big smile of relief and happiness, he leant over and kissed her one the cheek, so glad to have heard her voice.

"Barely," her lips twitched into a smile. "I think I'm going to..." She began, before closing her eyes and falling asleep again.

Rock ran a hand through his messy, blond hair and walked to the waiting room to tell everyone the good news. He had a lightness in his step that hadn't been there for a while, she was finally awake.

* * *

The evening went well, Jack would have said, after all there had been no major mishaps and he had believed a good evening had been had by all. They had danced in Rose Square to the dim lights of the street lamps, setting a glow of pink around the bricked square. After the festival he and Ann had wandered down to the beach and sat on the dock, their bare feet dipped into the cool ocean. They had then walked home and walked up the stairs, then came the only possible problem. Ann had closed her eyes and stood expectantly, her delicate pink lips puckered, and instead of leaning down and kissing her on her rosy lips, Jack had pecked her on the cheek. 

As far as he had been concerned, there was no harm done, sure Ann had looked a little put out, but not altogether upset. Yet this morning he had found his toast burnt and Ann had refused to speak to him, when usually she would greet him with a bright smile.

"What the hell's the matter with you woman?!" He asked eventually, he had tried in vain to grab her attention in other ways all morning, but now he had erupted.

"What's wrong with me?!" She demanded, her face turning brighter red then her hair. "You're the one who kissed me on the cheek after our date last night!"

"What date? I told you we were going as friends!" He protested stubbornly, looking at her incredulously.

"Then why did you turn up in smart clothes, and bring flowers and make the night romantic?" She yelled, her blue eyes filled with angry electricity.

"I was just being _nice_!" He argued, he wanted to stand up and shake the woman, why did everything have to mean something to them?

"MEN!" She shouted with a scowl before running up to her room.

"WOMEN!" He yelled even louder, remaining where he was for lack of a better place to go. He looked around and saw that everyone else in the room had stopped what they were doing and watching him with shocked expressions. "Howdy folks..." he said nervously.

"Doug, your daughter's crazy!" He complained in a whiny voice later, when Ann still hadn't appeared from her bedroom.

"I know," he said with a big smile. "Just like her mother," he looked proud.

"What's she doing up there?" Jack asked and Doug shrugged.

"Just give her a chance to cool down," he suggested and Jack sighed, it wasn't as though he had a choice.

* * *

When Lumina awoke later she found herself surrounded by her family, all of them smiling and ready to fuss over her. Yet she wanted to be left alone, it wasn't as though she didn't enjoy the attention, it was just that she needed to think. Slowly everything about the dream while she was comatose had kept coming back, and she was beginning to wonder whether it was real or not. She wanted to tell Rock and she wanted to ask a psychiatrist, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell everyone else or not. 

Eventually after being fed and arranging her thoughts while they babbled on about missing her, she decided to tell them exactly what had happened. She knew they might think she was crazy, but she wanted to tell someone and give them something to talk about besides how much they'd missed her. They had already told her about how they had been and paying for her medical bills and such, which had made her feel sufficiently guilty, but she knew that wasn't why they had told her. She knew they didn't want her to feel guilty, they just needed something to fill the silence.

After telling them about her subconscious adventures they all looked both shocked and confused, they were so silent she was beginning to wonder if they were all having comas of their own.

"Look it's not big deal..." she decided to explain eventually, but Ruby shook her head.

"It sound so strange, I think you should speak to a psychiatrist." Ruby suggested immediately, she was concerned for Lumina's mental health and had no idea what else to say.

"Do you all think I should?" She asked, looking around the room and all of them nodded except for Rock. "What do you think Rock?" His opinion was the one she cared most about.

"I think it's up to you, whether you believe you actually died slightly, or it was your minds way of dealing with things, I don't know... maybe you should just find out what it was... whether you really saw your mother." He told her honestly and she smiled. It seemed he had managed to say everything she had been wondering too, and she could tell he knew her main question: had she actually spoken to her mother?

"Okay then, I'll speak to a shrink." She said with a nod, and so everyone left the room in the pursuit of a shrink.

She leant back against the white sheets of the bed, breathing in the smell of disinfectant and relishing the sensation of life, how close had she really been to losing it? She shuddered involuntarily, how could she have almost been dead mere hours ago? She ran a hand through her dishevelled hair, wondering if she really looked as bad as she felt, and deciding that a distinct lack of showering could not lead to looking good. She sighed, feeling her strength sapped slightly even after sleeping for so long, she rested her head against the white linen and began to drift into a dreamless sleep.

"Lu… Lu, we found a psychiatrist…" She heard Rock's unmistakable voice calling her out of her sleeping state, reluctantly she opened her golden eyes and took in the surroundings. A bald man with thin-rimmed glasses stood opposite her, he definitely looked psychiatrist-like, he smiled weakly at her and took a seat on the chair opposite.

"Really we should have the Doctors analyse your health first, but seeing as your family say you're doing just fine… I'll listen to that coma dream of yours." He said kindly and she took a deep breath, summoning the energy to explain things again.

"So I'm not sure, apparently I almost died… so was I half dead when I saw these things… or just imagining them?" She asked, her tired eyes seeking meaning in the bird-like face of the psychiatrist.

"Coma patients sometimes have very vivid dreams during their vegetative state, and the brain still functions during this time. We're still not sure whether this is just the minds way of dealing things or whether people are actually witnessing heaven's gates, scientifically it would be logical that the mind is trying to overcome the trauma suffered in the incident that caused the coma." He explained and Lumina bit her lip.

So there was no definite answer, in any case her coma dreams had resolved her issues and she was able to forgive Takakura, she supposed that was all that mattered.

"Rock," she whispered, when the shrink had been called away to see other patients and only Rock and herself remained in the room. "Can we go home now?"

Her fragile voice reached his heart, she seemed like a frightened child, and her innocence made him remember again how lucky he was that she was still with him. He let silent tears form in his eyes before he blinked them away, focussing on the small girl before him. She looked younger now than she ever had, the coma had weakened her and taken some of the fire out of her eyes that gave her years that did not belong to her.

"Yeah Lu, we'll go home soon." He promised, taking her small hand and squeezing it with his own.

* * *

"Look you daft cow," Jack said for what seemed like the fiftieth time that evening, "I did not lead you on!" 

"The hell you didn't!" She yelled back, her pale cheeks flushed red from the fire of the argument.

"You mental bat…"

"There's no need to insult me," she interjected, sticking her tongue out rudely.

"If you want me to kiss you, so help me god I will!" He yelled, placing a hand on either side of her shoulders and looking into her sparkling blue eyes, rough as the ocean waves.

"Ha! You're not man enough!" She said with a snort, her reaction made his blood boil and his brown eyes burn like a forest fire.

"You made me do this!" He yelled before pulled her to him and kissing her lips with a fire that made her cheeks glow hot. The breathlessness afterwards stopped them from arguing as they each searched for answers in each others eyes, neither sure exactly what had happened.

"I told you I would," he said with a cheeky smile and was surprised when she smiled back.

"What can I say? I like a challenge," she told him, closing her eyes and leaning in for another kiss.

Meanwhile Doug watched from the shadows, chuckling to himself at the display.

"Just like her mother," he commented, his mind filling with memories of the girl with a fiery temper who now lay colder than stone beneath the careless earth.

* * *

"We have to end this," Celia said sternly, gritting her teeth so as not to lose her resolve. 

"I know," Gustafa said nodding, the information was not new to him, they had had to end it for a long time.

"Then why do I keep coming back?" She asked, desperation showing through her voice, she hated feeling like she needed him now, Gustafa had become an addiction.

"The same reason I do… the same reason we haven't ended it before… we need each other." They had had this discussion before, and each time Gustafa gave the same answer and each time it was a slap in the face for both of them.

"I can't give up my life for a bad habit, I need to quit!" She yelled, the tears started falling now, but they were strictly routine, a step taken to try and end their twisted affair. Each time the tears would hit their mark, Gustafa would wrap an arm around her, hush her, kiss her head, kiss her cheek, kiss her lips… then it was an affair again, and nothing had been resolved.

This time though, there was something different, this time there was a gasp behind them, this time they had been caught. Marlin stood, his blue eyes wide, without comprehension, filled with pain. He shook his head slowly… he was unable to move and unable to speak and the criminals were likewise frozen.

"I… I can explain…" Celia eventually managed, her bottom lip quivering as she had just managed to untangle herself from Gustafa's arms.

"How long?" Marlin asked, his voice was filled with hurt rather than anger at that moment.

"I… it doesn't mean anything…"

"How long?" he demanded firmly, his voice raised with more anger now.

"A month or two…" She replied meekly, the truth was all she could tell now, she had no parachute to save her, she just had to free fall and hope that she could land alive.

"I…"

"Don't saying anything else Celia… just… don't." He said turning to walk away.

"Wait!" Gustafa stopped him quickly and Marlin turned around with anger blazing in his eyes. "Don't tell Nami,"

Marlin's face contorted with anger, "she has the right to know… but I won't."

He then turned to walk away and Celia watched helplessly, the hot tears of guilt trickling down her cheek, how could she even follow him?

"Celia…" Gustafa began, wanting to murmur useless words of apology, but she just shook her head.

"Don't… please don't," she whispered bitterly, unable to look at him as she could feel her world crashing down around her.

* * *

During the journey back to Forget-me-not valley Lumina sat in complete silence, studying the rolling, azure ocean waves, the salty sea air sending her newly washed hair flying in all different directions. The clothes that Ruby had bought her to go home in were something quite new, something so lady-like, as though a symbol of the new chapter in her life. Gone were the jeans, they had been replaced by a green checked dress that went over her white shirt and orange scarf, that it seemed Ruby had been able to replace. 

She felt like an adult now, and why shouldn't she? She had overcome so many trials over the last few years, ever since the death of her grandmother, she could not be considered a mere child now. She believe age should be counted by experience not years, and she'd experienced enough for a lifetime.

"Lumina," Rock caught her attention by placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and kissing her neck. "We'll be home in about an hour, are you looking forward to it?"

"Of course," she said softly but with more conviction than she felt. It was as though she was two people, one person had missed home and felt merely as though she were returning from a long holiday. But the other side of her kicked and screamed, how could she go back to the place where she had suffered so much trauma, how could she look at the same places without feeling nostalgic? But Rock accepted the easy answer and sat in silence as she continued her musings, he had been told by the doctor that she needed to be allowed time to think, she might still be confused.

"I'm okay Rock," she said as though reading his mind. She hated how the ones she loved believed she might have come out of the coma either severely retarded or irreversibly traumatised.

"I know… but I can't help but worry Lu, and I can't help but watch you… just to make sure you don't disappear." He admitted, placing a hand over hers as though her touch would confirm that she was real.

"I'm real… I'm alive… why do you think I'm so fragile now… I'm not. If anything I'm stronger," she told him, a small fist clenched in determination to prove her new mental strength. Rock sighed, but he was almost glad that she was as stubborn as ever and he could see her new mental strength, but to him she would always be fragile, she was too precious not to be.

* * *

"What are your issues, woman?! You're so… infuriating!" Jack complained, glaring at the red head that already seemed to be under his skin. 

"Look I just don't want a boyfriend…" She said with a nonchalant shrug, wiping a cloth over the wooden bar to make it shine.

"So what do you want to be… friends with benefits?" He asked, surprised that a girl wanted such a loose relationship.

She shrugged again, turning her back away and wiping another table.

"You're okay with that?" He asked her again, she once again ignored his question and began to polish the windows. When he turned to walk away she slammed her fists on the table and turned to him, her cheeks hot with anger.

"Of course I don't want to be friends with benefits! I'm not your goddamn whore! I don't want to be your dirty little secret!" She spat angrily and he frowned, looking both shocked and confused at the same time.

"But you said…" He protested, he had never known a girl other than Nami to be so confusing.

"Because I want you to work it out! If you actually cared you'd work it out yourself!" She shouted before turning on her heel and storming off, leaving Jack in a smog of confusion.

* * *

"We left your room exactly as it was… sorry we haven't been able to get anyone to prepare it… we'd like to have a party for you…" Ruby explained, meanwhile straightening out the sheets and doing her best to make the room nice. 

"No party," Lumina said quickly and Ruby cocked her head. "I just… I don't want to make a big deal out of my being back… it's too much."

"I understand, we'll let you reintroduce yourself," Ruby agreed with a smile and a wink before unpacking Lumina's suitcase for her.

"I can do that myself…" Lumina protested but Ruby waved a dismissive hand in the air.

"Oh I just remember, about the money that Takakura stole… while we were in America we went to the vault and changed it to your name, the fortune is yours to do whatever you please with." Ruby told her with a smile and Lumina nodded without much emotion. "Aren't you happy Lumina… you have all your old items back… all your fortune… all your grandmother's treasures…"

"I've already had the greatest treasure I need…" Lumina said with a weak smile and Ruby gave her a look that showed she needed explanation. "Treasure isn't all silver and gold… I've seen my mother, that's all that matters."

"But…" Ruby wanted to tell her that it was merely a dream, but she hadn't the heart, so she settled with a warm smile. "Well the fortune is there under your name, and we'll see about buying the mansion back for you…"

"Don't!" Lumina protested and once again Ruby looked confused. "I mean, I'd rather stay here… if that's okay with you… I'll pay for my lodging."

"Oh we wouldn't dream of letting you pay," Ruby said with a warm smile, "you're family."

Lumina beamed back and Ruby finished before unpacking before leaving Lumina to sleep in her room.

* * *

Jack knocked hard on Ann's door, holding a bunch of flowers in one hand and trying to figure out exactly what he was going to say at the same time. 

"What do you want?" Came her grumpy voice and he braced himself for an onslaught.

"I came to make things right," he told her and to his relief he heard her pad over and open the door. Her eyes were red from crying, a sight that threw him off completely, he handed her the flowers and decided to scrap his speech and speak from the heart.

"Okay look," he said, taking a step inside without her permission. "I'm not good at the relationship thing, I've had a stream of bad ones, each one my fault. So I'm not saying this is going to be easy for you or me, but I do want to say that I like you a lot… maybe even love you. Right well… the thing is, I want you to be mine, my everything… no one else's, so be mine. I want to say I'll make you happy, but I don't know that, so I'll say I'll try, because I like you enough to work really hard at this."

She looked at him doubtfully, but if asked in secret she would admit that she was touched, she only wanted to know that he cared.

"So what are you saying?" She asked, her arms folded, trying to put him off.

"Erm… be mine? You can pick what title you want, girlfriend, significant other, flame, beloved… the choice is yours, but just, let me be yours." He said and he watched with relief as she smiled and nodded.

"Okay… you can be mine." She smiled almost shyly, and he saw the fragile girl inside her that really just wanted to be loved.

"Thank you… my treasure," he whispered before placing a kiss against her lips.


	32. Opportunities

I'm sure I promised a long time ago that I would finish this story, and I don't intend to let you down, however thus far I have.

**lost ladyknight: **Thank you kindly for your reviews, a reply from me has been much overdue. It made me smile to hear that you enjoyed it :) and even skipped learning the art of sign language to read it. In answer to your question, the title is from letters written by Pliny the Younger about the death of his uncle (Pliny the elder... unoriginal, I know), but within the passage is the quote "_Fortes fortuna adiuvat." _which means Fortune Favours the Brave, and I always liked that quote. Anyway, my apologies for not writing sooner, and thank you for the reviews :)

32. Opportunities

Life is hard, it's always hard no matter who you are, it has it's twists and it's bends and sometimes it can seem like it won't get better, like it's not worth it, it's always worth it. Life is always hard, but coming back to life is harder, taking your bow upon the stage of life and then entering once again to an audience that is awed, but doesn't understand. There is sympathy for the living dead, but not enough, people know what it's like to live, but they have no idea what it's like to die. Death is fear and if you've become death you become fear, people fear what they don't understand, and suddenly you become something which they can't quite comprehend.

Lumina could hardly stand it, the looks from the people who she had known her entire life, it was as though they didn't recognise her. They had not expected her to come back, that was obvious, they had done their grieving and moved on from her, and now she was back from the dead. Those closest to her stuck by her, but they treated her as though she were fragile as a flower, something to be wrapped up and taken care of. She felt as though she were smothered, suffocating and trapped within a coffin, completely buried alive.

"You can't come back from the dead without causing a stir Lumina," Sebastian explained, although he had no experience of coming back from the dead, he had the experience of returning to a place where he wasn't exactly welcome.

"I know Sebastian, I knew this would be difficult… but," she began to sob, biting her lip to stop from breaking down. "I can't do this Sebastian, I wish I could just go away…"

"Go away, Lumina?" He asked, he now had a curious look on his face.

"Yes, away from here, where no one knows me," she cried, and he watched her, as though measuring whether or not she meant it.

"I… I have something to tell you Lumina, I wasn't sure whether to or not… buft I'm beginning to believe I should…" He began unsurely, watching her with father-like eyes, like someone who wanted the best for her.

"What is it Sebastian?" She asked through the tears, her big brown eyes surveying him with desperate hope.f

"I want you to think very carefully about whether you would truly want to leave the valley and everyone you love behind… if you think you could do that… then tell me." He said seriously and she didn't ask what he meant, she merely nodded.

As she walked back to the sanctuary of the inn she thought over his words, how strange they had been. It was as though he was asking her something, implying something, and so she knew she must think very deeply about the question he had posed. She was sure she could feel the warm summer breeze upon her, but somehow the weather seemed irrelevant to her now, everything and everyone around her was now irrelevant. She was slowly beginning to realise something, she no longer belonged in the land of the living, she wasn't a part of their world anymore. She had seen something bigger, something much greater than anything she could see on this earth, but she had to live out the rest of her life. Would she always feel so empty?

She looked out across the valley, filled with people she knew living out their predictable lives, they would never do anything greater than what they did right now. She could barely stand it, barely stomach a place that held no more potential for her but to become an innkeepers wife. She loved Rock and she couldn't see herself loving anyone else as much as she did him, but she couldn't sentence herself to a mundane life yet, she couldn't let her life fall into routine already.

If she left, if she travelled beyond the small world she lived in, then she could achieve something. She could have adventures beyond her wildest dreams, she wanted to see everything, do everything and be someone. But could she really leave behind everything and everyone she knew and loved? Would she be willing to give up the love of her life for the dreams of her life? Her small family was all that kept her in the valley, all that kept her tied to life, would she be willing to gamble it all for a wild adventure? Deeper thought was still required.

* * *

A week had passed since Jack's declaration of love to Ann, and already he found himself head over heels with her, he had no doubt even after such a short time that she was the one for him. He had thought of purchasing the blue feather, he had asked Doug's permission and already he wanted to marry the girl. But somehow he knew that the girl in question could not yet marry him, she still had a number of emotional walls to bulldoze and she had to realise how much she loved him.

"Ann sweetie… do you ever think about marriage?" He asked, pulling her close to him and letting her lean her head on his shoulder. Ann bit her lip, of course she thought about marriage, tomboy or not, a girl has to think of marriage at least once in her life.

"Sometimes," she replied with an honesty that surprised herself and Jack's heart somersaulted a little with this admission.

"Do you think someday you'd want to marry me?" He queried, not sure why he was suddenly getting so close to asking her. She swallowed, lulled into security by the comfort of his arms.

"Someday…" she whispered and he smiled, kissing her on the top of her head.

"Then someday, I might ask you a question that you should say yes to." He assured her, taking in the warm glow that being in love brought.

* * *

"I've thought about your question," Lumina announced suddenly to Sebastian, her eyes sparkling as her heart beat furiously.

"And…?" He asked, his blue eyes burning into her like lasers. She ran a hand through her chestnut hair, and took a seat opposite him.

"Yeah, I would like to leave the valley," she told him and he stared to check she was being serious.

"If you're sure… Lumina, I sent off some of the pieces you wrote on the piano to an arts university, and Lumina… they said they've never seen such young talent, they want to enrol you!" He told her proudly and her eyes widened.

"Me?" she asked in a squeaky voice, excitement bubbling up inside her. "Oh Sebastian, do you think I could do it?"

"Of course you can Lumina, and you can really make something of yourself… shall I tell them you'll go?" He asked and she looked to the ground, thinking deeply.

"I need to talk to Rock," she said softly and Sebastian nodded understandingly, he knew Rock would be the biggest factor of her decision.

"Just tell me as soon as you know," he said patiently and she nodded. She swallowed hard, it was a big decision to make, a big gamble, to gamble her old life for a new one... could she do it?

* * *

"I can't do this any more," Celia told Marlin, her voice cracking as she tried to stop from breaking down. "I can't live like this." Truly their lives had fallen apart greatly since Marlin had caught her cheating, and she had done everything in her power to make it up to him. But Celia refused to throw herself upon him, to force him to forgive her, because she knew she was so in the wrong that she could never do that to him.

"I don't want to live like this Celia… ultimately I love you and want this to work… but the pain doesn't go away and the trust doesn't come back…" He said, with no accusation in his voice anymore, just a deep sadness.

"I… I know it's all been said before, but I never meant to hurt you…" She said in heart-breaking tones, but she had said the words too many times for their meaning to have much affect.

"Then why did you do it?" He asked tiredly, still no anger, he was so sick of the shouting. "And don't lie to me,"

"I did because… I… he was different, he made me feel something that you didn't make me feel. It wasn't a better feeling, it didn't even match how I feel with you… but it was different. He did it for the same reason." She tried to explain, but she knew giving her reasons didn't make it right, she could never make it right.

"So I wasn't enough," he stated words that had never come out of her mouth, he was so hurt and every time he even looked at her he felt a stabbing pain through his heart.

"Marlin, it wasn't that, he was just… convenient." She said softly, how much of a whore did that make her sound? But she knew she must seem a hussy who sleeps around, and she could never show anyone other than Gustafa that her reasons had never been such.

"Just stop it, please Celia, I can't even look at you… how can I forgive you?" He asked, it was a genuine question, because he would do anything that would help him forgive and get over it.

"Because you love me," she told him, believing in her heart of hearts that it should be reason enough.

"How can I love you when you're not the person I thought you were?"

"I'm still that person, I'm still her, I just made a mistake!"

"You had an affair!"

"It meant nothing!" She protested, her eyes burning with the truth.

"Yet it was enough to destroy our marriage…"

"Marlin, if I could give my life to take it all back I would, I love you… I just made a mistake, and I love you too much to let you go… I'm gonna still be here, whether you forgive me or not." She told him, and though it sounded more like a threat, Marlin knew that truly it was a promise. He blinked for a moment, staring at the woman that was once, that still was, his whole world.

"One day I'll forgive you Celia, but I can't yet… give me more time," he said softly, the fight in his voice was gone now, replaced with deep sadness.

She nodded, "I'll wait forever," it was a promise she intended to keep.

* * *

"For the last time no, Jack! I refuse to have sex in a public place!" Ann said, her cheeks were flushing bright red as she hadn't realised people were watching as she said the words.

"Well jeez, you said you wanted to do something new and interesting and I just assumed…" He began and she silenced him by forcing a slice of pie into his open mouth.

"By new and interesting," she began, taking a seat opposite him so that she could stare directly into his eyes. "I meant that we should go on a different kind of date, so far we've only really been to dinner and festivals, I was thinking we could do something exciting."

"Like what?" He asked, running a hand through his brown locks. "We're in Mineral town, the most interesting thing to do here is watch plants grow…"

"Use your imagination, if you actually cared you would!" She yelled, banging a small fist on the table with surprising force before running up to her bedroom to release anger. Jack, for his part, had no idea how Ann relieved stress up there, and truly he didn't want to know; he assumed there was use of voodoo dolls and a picture of his face as a dartboard.

"Doug you're on my side right," he turned to her father, who both he and Ann were always keen to recruit to their side. "What is there interesting to do in Mineral town?"

"I'm afraid I don't know… I like making prank calls to the mayor on this here phone," he gestured to the glossy phone perched on the desk. "But I don't suppose that's very romantic."

Jack could picture Ann enjoying making prank calls in her spare time, but he was sure that wasn't the sort of thing they should do on a date.

"You could always ask Karen, she's Ann's best friend, she should be able to think of something." Doug offered and Jack smiled, recruiting the help of the best friend… oldest trick in the book.

* * *

"Rock… I need to talk to you," Lumina said tentatively, she shuffled her feet as she waited for him to sit next to her in the grass.

"Of course Lu, what's up?" He asked gently, pulling her into a comforting embrace and kissing her on the head. As he stroked her hair rhythmically she took the time to think best how to ask her questions, she took the approach that slowly built up to the big question, rather than just blurting it out.

"Do you ever think there's something bigger out there?" She asked, closing her eyes and waiting to hear his answer.

"Do you mean like God?" He asked dumbly and she let out a musical yet rather nervous giggle.

"No, I mean like a life outside the valley, something that doesn't follow the same routine?" She leaned her head against his chest, letting him lie down so that her ear was directly above his heart, she could hear the steady, strong heartbeat, making her feel warmed by his life, it felt so connected to her own now.

He continued to stroke her hair as he replied, continuing to encourage her. "Yes, I got a look at it while you were in hospital…" he didn't mention her near death. "I did see the world, I worked in it and I saw other people's lives."

"What did you think of it?" She asked curiously, she could hear his heart beat change slightly, as though the mere thought of the outside both scared and excited him.

"Honestly, to begin with I was terrified, there's no warmth there when you first arrive, much less simplicity, but it's different." His eyes lit up as he explained, his voice stumbling over the words like an overexcited child. "Although there is some routine life seems to change everyday and it's so hard, but it's also so fulfilling. It made me appreciate the valley a lot, but the experience… it was really something."

"If you could have chosen to go to the city… would you have?" She asked with an even voice, she could almost hear the cogs turn is his brain as he mulled over the question, still stroking her hair.

"Yes, I suppose I would have… why are you asking this Lumina?" He asked seriously, she could hear the suspicion flowing off his voice, something slippery and also very careful.

She was silent for a moment, feeling the wind brushing against her face and caressing her cheek, knowing that this calm would not last for much longer. Although his heartbeat had increased it was still gentle, but the pounding against her ear became more like a death march. She could feel the sick nervous feeling in her stomach, combined with his warmth against her face she felt feverish. She breathed, relaxing herself and holding her last completely untouched moment with him within her memory.

"I've been offered a place at an arts university, it's a chance for me to make something of myself… I want to go Rock, but not without you understanding why I want to do this." She told him, she heard his heart beat increase dramatically, the hand stopped stroking her hair and he swallowed hard, she sat up, unable to bear the change.

She waited for him to speak but he remained silent, an oppressing silence that made her gut contract, but the summer sun was oblivious to the silence, continuing to shine down, and the birds continued to sing as though they were interrupting nothing.

"I don't want to hold you back Lumina," he said finally, looking at her with such intensity that she might as well be staring straight into the sun. "But I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me Rock… I'll come back, it's not forever, just two or three years." She protested, she had already known that would be a thought of his, but she knew she couldn't lose him.

"A lot can happen in that time Lumina, and if you have to constantly think of me… you won't be able to enjoy it to the full." He said, a look in his eyes that was dangerous, not angry, but as though he had thought of something terrible that she had not seen yet. "Lumina, if you go, it's over between us."

* * *

"I need you to plan me a romantic evening," Jack announced as he entered the supermarket and Karen turned to him with eyebrows raised.

"You know that's not what we sell here…" she told him sarcastically and he frowned.

"Look Ann wants to do something new and different…" Jack began.

"Have sex in a public place," Karen interrupted and Jack shook his head.

"I already suggested that. Nah, she wants to date somewhere new and interesting, but it's Mineral town, where is there to go?" He asked and Karen rolled her green eyes, placing one hand on her curved hip.

"Men really have no imagination, fine I'll tell you what to do, but just because Ann deserves a good evening." She told him, flipping back her blonde hair and flashing him a cheeky smile. "Take her for a walk up Mother's hill and have a picnic basket up there earlier, then you simply walk up there with her, set down the blanket and have a nice romantic evening, got it?"

"Yeah that's a really good idea, why didn't I think of that?" He asked, scratching his head and she let out a deep sigh.

"Because you're retarded, okay? Now hurry up and buy some stuff, you're gonna need ingredients to make a picnic." She told him, smiling with amusement as he rolled his eyes and let her hand him ingredients while ignoring her recipes (Karen's cooking was well known to be poisonous).

As he was finishing making his purchases Jack spotted something blue and shiny out the corner of his eye, the blue feather sat tauntingly on a shelf, putting the idea of marriage into the minds of all who saw it.

"How much is the blue feather?" He asked casually, not really thinking about the effect such a phrase would have. Karen squealed, marching over to the feather, picking it up and placing it into his outstretched hand.

"That'll be ten thousand added to your bill then," she smirked and his eyes widened.

"No I didn't mean… I was just… please don't…" He stammered, trying to find the words that would say that he wasn't ready yet but he did intend to marry her friend one day. Instead the words that did slip clumsily off his tongue were much less desirable, "don't tell Ann." He cursed himself and slapped himself mentally, he'd really opened his big mouth this time.

* * *

Meanwhile Doug sat on a seat at the bar, the room was empty since everyone had gone back to their jobs, it was the perfect opportunity for something sinister. He reached out a shaking hand, biting his lip, that little voice inside his head was screaming, "don't do it!" But he ignored it. He reached out and placed his hand over the receiver, picking up the phone he placed the cool white plastic to his ear, dialling in the number he knew so well, and of course set to anonymous caller settings. He heard it ring, his heart hammering in his chest, loving the game of daredevil.

"Hello?" Came the small, rather timid voice of Mayor Thomas.

"Why hello, I'm calling about the fifty spider monkeys and large African elephant you ordered from me over the phone yesterday…" He began, keeping a straight face, laughter would ruin the game.

"The what?" The Mayor asked dumbly, "I didn't order…"

"The animals are non-refundable… I hope there's not a problem because they cost quite a bit, four million gold…" Doug said, his false nasal, Australian accent making him want to chuckle.

"Four million?!" Doug could practically hear the beads of sweat trickling down the Mayors face and onto his large nose, his little spectacles would be steamed up by now.

"I'll send them over tomorrow, have a nice day sir…" Doug began and the Mayor interjected.

"Wait… who in the devil is this?" He demanded and Doug had to stifle a chuckle.

"If you need to contact me, go to your local inn and ask for Ivor Bignose… be there soon if you wish to cancel." Doug then hung up, waiting for his favourite part of the prank.

Luckily every time he did the prank, the Mayor would take his time, until all of the customers had come for their dinners and drinks. The Mayor waddled in, looking slightly nervous and perturbed at the same time, he smiled at Doug who grinned back.

"Hello Doug…" he greeted nervously, "I'm looking for err… Ivor Bignose," he whispered.

"Who?" He asked, pretending not to hear.

"Ivor Bignose," the Mayor said, a little louder this time.

"Who?"

"IVOR BIGNOSE!" The Mayor shouted and the entire inn erupted with loud laughter, and the mayor finally realised what he had said.

"Looks like you've been pranked again…" Doug said with false sympathy and the Mayor sighed.

"He gets me every time," he replied sadly before walking back home, his face red enough to match his outfit.

"Yes… I am that good." Doug grinned, that was his fun for that evening.


	33. Alone Together

33. Alone Together

Sitting on the beach in Forget-Me-Not valley gave any person the opportunity to be alone, or at least to feel alone. The beach was far enough from any of the houses not to be spied on, and if one person was sitting there alone, usually people took the hint and left them alone, unless, of course, they considered it their business to interrupt. No one seemed to consider anything Lumina did _their _business anymore, she was of the dead, and the dead were not their business. It didn't matter where she sat nowadays, she could be surrounded by people and still feel completely alone; she didn't belong anymore.

Her eyes reflected the lonely blue of the sea, which today was unblemished by rays of the golden sun, as the few summer clouds seemed to have accumulated to hide the sun today, hiding it from an unfeeling world. She wrapped her arms around her knees, placing her chin in the alcove between her two knees, to a casual onlooker she would appear calm and thoughtful, but in truth her brain was so tired of thinking, that it simply sat idle. She had already made her decision, she realised now that she had made up her mind even before she had asked Rock, and perhaps he knew that, and for that reason he was avoiding her.

She knew she was leaving, perhaps she had known before she even came back to the valley, because she knew she wouldn't belong. As time passed she realised more and more, she would fit in better beneath the gravestones beside Galen's house than out in the feeble sunlight. Had Rock even noticed that she didn't belong? Did he see that she was like a piece of the puzzle that had been lost, then found with a part missing, so it no longer fit in the puzzle of the valley? Did he see that she needed her missing piece to truly fit again? She had asked him this on that day when he had told her that if she left, she lost him and his reply had been less than substantial.

"You don't need to go away for that piece… we're supposed to be two halves of a whole, nothing missing." He had told her, sounding less than complete as he said it. She had argued that they would still be halves of a whole, no matter what the distance between them. Besides, how could they even make up a whole if she was too cracked and broken to even add up to a half, she needed to be whole on her own before they could be whole again.

As the sun turned from sickly white to lurid orange as it dipped quickly behind the veil of the sea to hide its face, Lumina stood, her feet barely making indents in the golden sand. She walked over to the mini graveyard, standing opposite the three graves that should never have been. She marvelled at how much you could tell from a gravestone, as it reflected not only the lover who bought the stone, but the loved which lay beneath it. The lover would look for a gravestone that reflected their feelings towards the loved, they would inscribe words to the same affect and place it in a position that held some meaning to them. But at the same time a gravestone reflects the feelings the loved had in life, their preferences and their feelings for the lover. The lover will buy a gravestone that reflects what the loved would want, while trying to keep within what is possible in the mortal realm and the loved would not want too much expense lavished on their account; their belief is that the lover should move on.

Lumina wondered if people had already moved on from her, had they already imagine the gravestone that would mark her spot? Had they already moved her death from the front of their mind and placed it in the back and connected it to their heart, in that special place where she would always be remembered but would not cause pain.

"You can't stay, can you?" Rock asked, standing by her side and gazing at Muffy's gravestone.

"No, I can't," she agreed, reaching out her hand and taking his, to both provide and receive comfort. "You can't hold onto me from so far away, can you?"

"No, not while we're in different worlds," he replied still looking into the distance. They both spoke calm words of understanding, what they both had known within their hearts would happen.

"I won't forget you," she said softly. "Or stop thinking about you."

"You may, with time. I know I'll always remember you…"

"I'll be back," she said softly, "and I intend to marry you when I am."

"Don't," he said sharply and she turned to look at him in surprise. He took a deep breath and explained. "We don't know what will happen Lu, and if you say that… it makes this sound like an engagement. It's not."

"No, it is a parting, but it's not forever. I thought… I thought that if we said we'd marry when I return… it might stop us from severing our bond." She told him softly, her hand tightening slightly around his. There was a silence, where neither could say they wanted the bond severed, nor could they promise to lock away their hearts in boxes, where only the other had the key. Birdsong wavered in the background, like a musical accompaniment to their parting.

"We part as friends, nothing more." Rock said eventually, somehow the words sounded so final that Lumina did not reply, instead she nodded. There was little more to say on the subject now, not until she left the valley, but they would leave the spot where they stood now as friends, only friends. So they stood there, both understanding that they would be together no more once they left, they relished the final moments of togetherness with heavy hearts in the dim ruby light.

* * *

Celia was only slightly aware of a warmth by her side as she woke that morning, it was an almost alien heat, yet it seemed so familiar. Terrified of disturbing whatever was next to her, she opened her eyes slowly and turned her head only slightly to see what it was. Her heart leapt with joy as she spotted Marlin, one of his arms draped over her side almost lovingly, he had finally moved from the couch and was now next to her. She closed her eyes again, barely daring to breathe, but she couldn't resist moving slightly to kiss him on the cheek. She hadn't felt able to show love or to mother him in so long and the feeling was so good.

"Celia…?" Marlin whispered, his blue eyes bleary from sleep as he seemed to be trying to place everything. She smiled, hearing him say her name with such gentleness warmed her heart, tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she looked at him.

"I'm so sorry Marlin," she told him, her apology covered everything that she had done in the last few months. Marlin seemed to wake up, but instead of jumping away with disgust he sat up and simply looked at her.

"I… I forgive you," he sounded surprised himself as he said the words, but she could tell he meant them and had come to terms with her terrible crime. She knew it would still hurt, she could see that from his manner still, but she had a new chance, and this time she wasn't going to mess it up.

"I… I love you," she said, her voice relieved and thankful, he didn't reply but deep down she knew he wanted to return the love. They had to take baby steps to get to anywhere near where they used to be, and she would try her hardest to take his hand and lead him through the unsure first steps.

* * *

Karen sat next to Jack on the bench outside the general store, her green eyes surveying him carefully. "So how're you gonna do it?" She asked and he looked at her blankly.

"Do what?" He asked his brown eyes confused and his eyebrows raised. She rolled her eyes and sighed with disbelief at the density of man kind.

"Ask my friend to marry you… duh!" She told him and he swallowed hard, feeling as though a giant bug had just flown down his throat.

"What? Oh… oh…" he bit his lip, trying to think of something very clever that would say he wasn't planning to propose to her best friend and that he loved Ann at the same time. "I got a feather…" Those weren't the words he had in mind…

"Yeaaah… but how are you planning to _propose_?" She asked, her green eyes like big green spotlights.

"Erm…" he pulled the collar of his shirt, feeling it grow very hot outside all of a sudden. "Well… you see… it's just that…"

"You haven't thought of how to do it yet?!" Karen created her own version of what he was trying to say and gawped at him wide eyed. "Well you're going to love me, 'cos I've already thought of how you're going to do it." She told him smugly.

"_Of course she has…" _Jack thought, his face falling. "Oh… brilliant… how?"

"It's actually the perfect plan, and it combines the new date in at the same time… she won't know what hit her!" Karen exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"_No, but she's gonna hit me…" _his mind retorted as he sat glumly. "Oh… great."

"What you're going to do is take her on the picnic and keep the feather in your pocket, then you put it in her sandwich and when she takes a bite she'll pull out the feather." Karen gushed, her cheeks turning pink as she spoke. "How perfect is that?"

Jack could think of a number of ways that the idea was not perfect, his not wanting to get married being a main reason, but he opted to point out his second reason. "Is that hygienic?"

"Yes it's fine, we only sell clean feathers!" Karen assured him and he sighed, it looked like he would be plus a fiancée in just a day, but minus his free will and sanity.

* * *

Eventually the news that Lumina was leaving once again had passed through the valley, the information was met with sorrow, curiosity and indifference. She had packed and was ready to leave in three days time as term was starting soon, and Sebastian using his foresight had already enrolled her. Although soon there would barely even be a trace of her left in the valley, she seemed to spend most of her days alone, not surrounded by loved ones as perhaps she should have been. But she didn't feel sorry for herself, she knew exactly why she wasn't surrounded, most people barely even spoke to her anymore anyway, they had already mourned her. But the ones who did still love her she had driven away, or she avoided at all costs. Spending time with Ruby and Tim was too hard, they both watched her carefully as though if they looked away she would disappear, and she already felt enough pain at losing them.

Being around Rock just wasn't the same, he didn't look at her lovingly anymore, in fact he barely looked at her at all; but when she did catch his glance, all she saw within his deep brown eyes was emptiness, stretching far back. Words between them were barely registered, there were no words to say that hadn't already been said, or were being saved until their final parting. Time spent together felt like purgatory, floating between heaven and hell but edging ever closer to hell. The bond they had once shared lay severed, it was as though a part of them was missing and they were adjusting to the missing weight.

Sebastian was about the only person she could spend time with, she could see in his eyes that he would miss her, but she also saw understanding. He had let her go once before, he was strong enough to do it again.

"Promise me you'll take care of them while I'm gone," she told him one day, her eyes were those of a mother trusting him with her family, caring and wise.

"I swear on my life, I won't let anything happen to them…" he swore to her and she nodded.

"I know that… I also mean… teach them to live again." She said softly. "Teach them to hold onto each other… tell them I'll be back."

"And will you?" He asked the question that she hadn't thought he would, she had never believed there would be the question of her returning.

"Of course… some day." She said firmly, leaving no doubt in the old man's heart that no matter where she went the valley was still her home, whether she felt it now or not, and she was bound to it.

* * *

Jack finished making enough food for both he and Ann, and if he did say so himself, it looked delicious. Finely cut fresh bread filled with cheese and lettuce and a fine spreading of butter. This was followed by chopped fruit, ruby red strawberries dipped in creamy chocolate and a fresh red wine to compliment the taste. He piled the food into a golden, wicker basket and placed a folded, checked picnic blanket on top. He then reached inside the drawer in his bedside cabinet and pulled out the satiny blue feather and slipped it into one of the deep pockets of his jeans. He then picked up the basket and headed towards Mother Hill.

"So you delivered the basket?" Karen checked, sitting idly on the counter in the general store, her leg crossed over her other in a typical woman sitting position.

"Yes! How incompetent do you think I am?" He asked rhetorically, glaring at her when she opened her mouth to answer.

"Look, I just want everything to go perfectly for your proposition. Ann's my friend, she deserves this… Every girl deserves to be proposed to in the right way." She told him, a look formed across her face that gave Jack the suspicious feeling that she was talking about herself.

"Karen? Has Rick proposed yet?" He asked, his eyebrows were furrowed sympathetically. Her beryl eyes widened and her cheeks flushed angry pink.

"That's neither here nor there…" She began before sighing. "No, he hasn't proposed yet." She quietly admitted her defeat, reminding him of a cat that acted proud and vicious but now looked more like a hurt kitten.

"And it's not like I haven't dropped enough hints," she continued, her voice now raising to that of anger. "I mean he'd have to be retarded not to know that I want him to propose… how difficult is it to whip out a blue feather and be like "I love you, marry me". My god, are all men retarded?"

"Uh…" Jack didn't know what to say, but at least he knew why Karen was so obsessed with making him propose, but maybe he did owe it to Ann to give her security. "Look Karen, I love Ann, that's why I want to do this… Rick loves you too and eventually he'll do it… just be patient."

Karen sighed, looking into his eyes with her hurt emerald pair. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but it's hard sometimes."

"But if you love him, maybe it's worth the wait…" he suggested, not sure if he believed the corny words coming out of his mouth, but hoping they would help heal the girl's heart. She nodded and then shook the frown off her face, replacing it with a big smile.

"Now lets get you ready for your date."

* * *

The valley seemed almost empty once again and Lumina was very aware that she only had a few hours until she would be leaving the valley. She had said her brief goodbyes to most people, now she just needed to say goodbye to the people closest to her.

"I thought I might find you here," Celia said warmly, smoothing her skirt and taking a seat next to Lumina in the grass.

"Where else would I be?" Lumina replied with a small smile and Celia looked sceptical.

"It would seem not in the valley at all,"

"I'll be back." Lumina protested quickly and Celia nodded, watching Lumina with eyes filled with respect.

"I think it's really brave what you're doing…" She informed her and Lumina smiled weakly.

"I wish you'd tell Rock that," she said bitterly, looking up into the grey sky, it was early in the morning and so the sun had barely risen at all.

"I will, every day until you come back. I won't let him forget you, because you're not doing anything wrong."

"Celia… are you and Marlin going to be alright? Marlin told me… but it seems he's ready forgive you, but if you ever need my help just write me a letter, okay?" Lumina told her, her eyes holding Celia's in a look that held promise. Celia nodded, her throat seemed caught, she was unable to say much about the situation, she was just praying that Marlin would be able to heal.

"I'll write to you anyway Lumina, I just wanted to wish you luck and tell you that I support what you're doing." Celia smiled warmly then stood up, she had spotted Nami in the distance, walking over to give her final goodbye. She decided she had to leave, not only because she still felt guilty looking at Nami, but also because she knew it was time for Lumina to say goodbye to Nami alone. Lumina stood up too and hugged Celia before she left, smiling at feeling the warmth of human compassion.

"Hello Nami," Lumina said with a slight smile on her pink lips, Nami looked at her in a way that she had never seen Nami look at anyone, genuine respect. She felt awed by such a thing that she had not believed she would ever see from Nami and the smile widened.

"You're leaving," Nami stated the obvious.

"Yes, I'll be leaving early tomorrow morning… I'm gonna miss this place." Lumina looked around the valley, its many beauties still astounded her, even though she was looking forward to seeing exciting new things in a different place.

"I thought about leaving a lot of times, this was the only place I couldn't leave… how do you do it?" Nami asked, her eyes filled with wonderment and curiosity, Lumina had never expected Nami to ask a question like that.

"Because I'm not really here, I guess," Lumina said with a sigh, taking a seat down on the grass and watching Nami with kind eyes. "I haven't been here since I almost died, it makes it easier… and I'm not going for ever."

"What if you are?" Nami asked, a question that Lumina had not yet asked herself. Lumina inhaled deeply, biting her lip to stop the sinking feeling in her stomach. "I… I'm sure I will come back… I never thought I wouldn't…"

"What if you start a life somewhere else, what if you fall in love with someone else?" Nami asked, her voice sounding slightly worried. Lumina shot a questioning look in her direction and then realised something that hit her hard: Nami was scared. Nami was scared that she wouldn't come back, someone else who cared. Lumina beckoned for Nami to sit down and pulled her rigid form into her arms, cradling the girl who hated to show emotion, it was a dangerous move but it somehow felt right.

"I'm bound to this place, I'll be back… and if I'm not… life goes on and we all have to be brave. We have to learn to get along without the people we need the most if we're ever going to truly be strong, and if we can do that, then we're truly independent. Be brave… let go… move on." Lumina whispered, having no idea where the words were coming from, but they sounded strangely familiar. She tried to recall their source and the memory touched her like a warm summers day, as she had been screaming in agony, coming back to life, her mother had whispered them into her ear. It was as though she hadn't completely heard them until now, when she needed them most.

Nami swallowed hard, her heart so undernourished from lack of love shuddered, and she tried to hold back tears. "I'll miss you Lumina," she said genuinely and the brunette smiled.

"I'll miss you too, write me a letter sometime… teach the people here to move on… teach them strength, because I know you have so much." Lumina told her, caring eyes shining upon Nami, who nodded and did not cringe away from emotion like usual.

"Thank you… for everything."

* * *

"I don't see why we couldn't have just had dinner at the inn like usual," Ann said with a frown, she was tired from hiking all the way up the mountain, not that she didn't usually, but now she was in less comfortable shoes.

"You said you wanted to do something different!" Jack protested, running a hand over his forehead, women were just too much stress.

"Yeah but then I thought about it, and I realised… I don't need you to do different stuff for me, or to prove anything, because I love you… and I guess that's all that matters." She said with a shrug, her blue eyes gazing at him intensely. He stopped walking and turned to look at her, his feet unable to travel further up the rough ground.

"What drugs have you been taking… you sound like… a normal girl." He said in dismay and she fumed. Her eyebrows struck like lightning bolts over her icy eyes.

"I _am_ a normal girl! Why can't you accept that I like girly stuff too!" She shouted angrily and Jack swallowed hard, trying to back-pedal.

"You're not a normal girl Ann… that's why I love you. You're special." He told her with a smile that reflected smugness, those had to be the right words. Miraculously, he had said the right words and pressed the reset button, she was calm again.

"So why are we going all the way up here anyway?" She asked and he smiled secretively.

"You'll see," he promised as they continued to walk up the hill towards a different stage in their lives.

* * *

The morning had arrived, after a sleepless night it was time for Lumina to say her final goodbyes before heading to Mineral town where she would catch a boat to the main land. Her dearest friends were gathered around her with sad eyes that made her heart melt, but did nothing to thaw her determination. As she waited for Griffin to arrive in order to help her with her stuff she hugged everyone separately. She had no more words to say to Celia and Nami, she would leave them with the knowledge that they wouldn't forget her, and that they would miss her. But she had so many words to say to the people she considered her family, but not enough time to say them in.

Ruby approached to hug her first, pulling her into her motherly arms and letting warm tears wet her skin. "I'm going to miss you so much my dear,"

"I know Ruby, and I could never get the courage to do this if you hadn't helped me grow up so much in the last few years. You've completely enriched my life… thank you." Lumina said, her words were brief, but she and Ruby had already spoken and reminisced before, so she said only a few of the words inside her head.

Next Tim approached to hug her, he had been a good father, but really there was not much to tell him, they had already said their goodbyes. "I love you Lu,"

"I love you too Tim, I'm going to miss you so much, thank you for being there… thank you for being strong for me… take care of the family for me." She told him, wiping the tears from her eyes as she tried to smile at him. She hugged him and then turned to Rock, he was to be the hardest to say goodbye to.

"Guys… could we have some time alone?" She asked the group and they nodded, heading over to Celia's farm while she and Rock spoke.

As soon as they left Lumina began to cry and Rock held her, they were both reminded of the time he first comforted her, when her world had fallen down around her and everyone had left. Times had changed so much since then, but the feelings seemed as though they had been there all along.

"What am I going to do without you?" Rock asked, choking on tears that he knew he shouldn't show.

"If you tell me how I can get along without you, then I'll answer your question." She replied through her tears, her eyes distorting the image of the one she loved.

"Better than I'll do without you… I get why you have to do this… but I wish you didn't have to." He told her, he knew it was cliché, but he was missing her already.

"Rock… I love you so much, I'll never love anyone else like I love you… that sounds so corny, but it's so true. You're the only reason I have doubts about going, but… I promise I'll be back."

"I hope so… but I don't know that, so try to move on, because I'm going to… sorry Lu, but now… we're alone." He said softly, he was now unable to look her in the eyes and she swallowed hard, she had truly lost him. She reached out and took his hand, feeling it's warmth in her own for what could be the last time.

"We may be alone, but we're alone together… you'll always be there, in my mind, in my heart, in my soul, even if I move on, you're a part of who I am. Just… remember me, please?" She begged and he looked at her for the last time, memorising the contours of her face.

"Always." He promised and she swallowed hard before kissing him on the cheek and finally walking away. He stood, rooted to the spot, until she took her bags and finally disappeared from his world.

"We're in different worlds now… I hope they collide again." He whispered, wiping the steadily falling tears from his eyes, able to let himself cry by remembering what Lumina had once said to him, "_it's okay to cry…"_


	34. Lessons

34. Lessons

It takes bravery to do a lot of things in life, and bravery can be found in a lot of places, if you look hard enough. Everyone has it in them to be brave, no matter how scared they are, everyone has something that drives them to be brave, and those with courage can do the most amazing things. There are different types of bravery but each one is something that changes lives, whether it be courage used to save a life, the boldness that leads one to start a new life or maybe the guts to ask someone for their hand in marriage. Lumina was using hers to leave all that she knew, to try and find something in a place where she knew nothing and no one.

She was filled with fear, she was starting off completely alone, but the adrenaline of the adventure made her body shudder with anticipation. _"You can do this," _she told herself as she boarded the boat taking her to the mainland. But her heart continued thumping hard in her chest, what if she was making the wrong decision? How could she leave Rock, and her family, she had everything she needed back home… right? She clenched her fists, no, something was missing and she knew she couldn't find the answers in the Valley. She leant against the rails at the side of the small, white boat, gazing into the wild ocean waves and asking for strength.

* * *

Finally Jack and Ann reached the top of the hill, and while panting Jack tried to find the picnic basket. He looked in the place where he had left it and to his horror, found it completely absent.

"Damn it!" He cursed and Ann looked at him curiously.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sitting on the ground and gazing at him with inquiring blue eyes.

"Er… it's nothing, honestly… Just looking for a surprise I left up here." He told her, meanwhile searching frantically around for the basket. After ten minutes of being unable to find the missing dinner Ann had grown impatient.

"What the hell are you looking for?" She asked eventually and he sighed, so much for the element of surprise.

"I bought up a picnic basket for us earlier today… but it appears to be missing." He told her with great embarrassment and she looked confused with her emotions for a moment.

"Well… that's both sweet and incredibly stupid at the same time… If you left it up here some animal probably ate it…" She pointed out and he shook his head.

"How would an animal carry off an entire basket?" He asked looking down at her with a frown and she shrugged.

"Could have been a bear," she said casually and his eyes widened.

"A BEAR?!" He shouted with a panic-stricken look on his face. "We have bears here?"

"Could do… look it's no big deal, let's just go home and get dinner at the inn…" She suggested and he waved his hand in a dismissive motion.

"No… no I want to find the picnic basket and eat up here." He said firmly, continuing to look around. He then looked at her expectantly. "Are you gonna help me?"

She sighed and stood up, beginning to look around with him, time passed slowly and after looking around in the dirt Ann found her outfit covered in mud. "What's so great about a stupid picnic basket anyway? This is pointless, why don't we just go back to the inn?"

"Because," he said, gritting his teeth together. "I had this all planned out and it was supposed to be the perfect evening, and I made us a really nice dinner…"

"So? My dad would make us a really nice dinner at the inn… and this isn't exactly what I call a perfect evening, can't we just salvage the date now?" She asked tiredly and he sighed, deciding he needed to tell her the truth, at least to explain why he was so obsessed with making their moonlit picnic a success.

"Look, Karen told me to take you up here with a picnic and propose… I have the feather in my pocket and I was hoping to propose tonight." He said without emotion and Ann's jaw dropped.

"Wait," she began angrily, her eyes filled with blue fire. "You were planning to just propose, not talk things through and discuss if we're ready… just propose… what have I told you about consulting me first?"

"Look, I didn't even want to propose," he said, before realising he had just said exactly the wrong thing. She looked hurt, almost as though he had just slapped her.

"Then why were you going to?" She asked, her voice filled with pain and anger. Her cheeks were an irate red colour but her eyes were filled with cold, blue pain.

"Because Karen told me to, she organised everything…" He said coldly, he then looked at her hurt face and her eyes filling with tears. "I don't mean it like that… I mean at first I didn't want to, but then as I thought about it I realised how much I did want you to marry me. There's no one I'd rather spend my life with… but I didn't want to propose because I knew you'd be angry."

She was silent for a moment and the world seemed to go silent with her as he watched patiently. The moon shone above them like a spotlight, highlighting the drama and the stars made a glowing audience.

"You really love me?" She asked eventually, her voice was questioning but gentler than he had ever heard it. He looked at her with true depth of feeling, his chocolate eyes promising nothing but the truth.

"Of course, more than I've ever loved anything," he swore, and somehow as he said it he realised the truth. He hadn't realised before that he loved Ann more than Lumina, and he had loved her a damn huge amount, and suddenly everything felt so right.

"Then ask me now if I'll marry you,"

"Ann Green, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" He asked softly and she grinned broadly from ear to ear.

"Of course I will," she replied, leaping into his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him softly.

"Ahem," came another's voice into the world that had been their very own. They turned to see Karen standing there, picnic basket in hand.

"I figured some animal might steal the picnic basket so I took it and decided to bring it up later…" Karen said with a look-at-how-helpful-I-am smile. Ann and Jack simply laughed, too happy to let something so stupid ruin their evening, they had discovered that love meant that they were happy wherever they were as long as they were together.

"We'll eat it now… bye Karen." Jack said and they watched as she left, feeling rather unappreciated.

* * *

The salty sea air brushed the hair out of her face giving her a better view of the mainland they were approaching. The greens of the land came from above the blue ocean like a turtle rising from the depths of the deep, azure sea. She shielded her eyes from the sun to get a better view, the mainland seemed different to how she'd remembered it, but this was a different place to where she'd been before, she supposed the colours were always different.

"See that land there," the captain pointed to the big mainland that you'd have to be blind _not _to see. "That brings us to a town called Oceandale, first bit of America you'll be seeing."

Her irises enlarged her pupils at the sight of the land, as though trying to take in as much as possible. As the boat hit against the docks and she stepped out with all of her luggage she felt a certain sense of freedom, she was a bold adventurer, and she was terrified.

A cab drove up towards her that the captain had called earlier to take her straight to the university, she smiled graciously, it was very kind of the old man to help her. She sat in the cab breathing in the smell of cigarettes and smoke, barely concealed by pine air fresheners. The cab driver was a stout man but he looked jolly enough, he piled her luggage into the car and then sat back in his own seat, he then turned around and smiled at her.

"You're new here I can tell, where abouts are you from then?" He asked, taking in her youthful appearance.

"Forget-me-not valley…" she murmured and he frowned.

"Can't say I've heard of it, must be on one of those lesser known islands. Well then, you're gonna love it here, it's a quite place, so it's not overwhelming, but there is so much to see and do." He grinned while speaking animatedly about the town he had obviously grown up in and never had the heart to leave. "Anyway, you'll love the college here, the campus is pretty filled with things to do. It's a beautiful place."

Lumina was glad that he was so talkative, otherwise she wouldn't have had a thing to say herself and the journey would be filled with silence, which right now would only make her worry more.

She watched out of the window for most of the journey, fixated on the tall buildings that they passed and the huge superstores, she had never seen anything like it. When she had been in an American hospital she had seen nothing of the buildings, in fact, on her last trip in the mainland she had barely seen anything. Soon they pulled up at a big marble building, decorated with Greek style pillars and big golden letters at the very front reading _"vita est brevis"_. Lumina knew just about enough Latin to translate it as, "life is short", a strange motto for a school, but it seemed to be an interesting place already. Everything was so artistically built and she could tell already that the people there would be capable of bringing great things out of a young mind.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, her breath felt as though it had been pumped out of her body.

"Isn't it just, tell you what, you go to the reception and tell them your details and get your student ID, I'll go find your room and drop off your stuff… don't worry, my fare's prepaid, so there's no need to come pay me." He told her with a big smile, she nodded thankfully and looked nervously at the reception.

"Thank you very much for your kindness, it was nice to meet you."

"Of course, good luck, I can see you achieving great things." He told her amiably before taking a suitcase in each hand and heading over to the accommodation.

The lady at reception seemed much more intimidating than Lumina would have expected from a secretary, everything about her was slender and her straight blonde hair stuck out perfectly straight from her small head. She wore thick rimmed glasses which magnified her blue eyes, but she looked every inch a scholar.

"Good afternoon, may I help you in some way?" She drawled in a southern accent, which somehow relaxed Lumina as she approached the heavily polished marble desk.

"Yes, I'm enrolled here, Lumina Silverstone, I would like my student ID please," she said, a nervous smile spreading across her lips. The woman beamed and turned her attention to the computer where she checked Lumina's profile.

"Of course, there you are," the woman smiled reassuringly and reached into a draw, pulling out a shiny name tag with a picture of her that Ruby had taken and sent over. She flushed with embarrassment; it was a terrible picture which had been taken after a particularly tiring day.

"Thank you very much for your help," she said turning to leave.

"Head to your dormitory and get settled down, there'll be a briefing tomorrow at 8 am, and if you're not there, you'll miss it." The secretary warned and Lumina nodded gratefully.

She approached the large oak door that hid the room she would be staying in for the duration of her time spent at the college, she breathed in deeply and pushed down on the handle, letting the door swing smoothly open. She took in the décor of the room, smooth cream walls and deep red curtains covering the large window at the back of the room. On either side was a double bed, each with a fuchsia duvet and white cushions placed delicately on top. There was a mini-fridge and small counter to one side of the room and a stack of shelves and cupboards on the opposite side. Lumina spotted her suitcases on one side of the room and assumed that was to be her bed, she stepped over to them and began to unpack.

While unpacking she wondered what her roommate would be like, would she even have a room mate? She guessed that if she did have a room mate she would be female, for obvious reasons, it would be nice to get to know someone already. As though in answer to all these questions the door creaked open and there stood a brunette girl with bright green eyes. She spotted Lumina and grinned broadly, dumping her stuff down and running over to introduce myself.

"Hi, my name's Kyra, I guess you're my room mate, swell." She offered her hand which Lumina accepted with a smile big enough to match.

"Hey, I'm Lumina, it's nice to meet you." She greeted before Kyra ran over to sit on the comfortable bed.

"Well alrighty then, I'm going to start unpacking… I hate awkward silences, so while I do, why don't you tell me about yourself?" She suggested brightly, flicking back her long, curly hair. "Seriously, I'm all ears."

Lumina cocked her head, it seemed rather strange to tell every detail about her life to a perfect stranger, where did she begin? How much did she tell? She sighed and decided to give the basics, where she came from, what the valley was like and the fact that her family was dead. Kyra didn't push to find out information, they both understood that this was merely an introduction session, and they would delve deeper into the details of their lives when they became familiar with each other.

After Lumina was done explaining her life Kyra began the introduction to her life. She came from California, which she apparently realised could give her the reputation of being an airhead, but she explained that that was merely a stereotype and she had not bought her way into the school. She described the area, seemingly shocked that Lumina hadn't heard much about it and then moved on to tell her about her family: one annoying brat brother, a sweet cookie-baking mother and a dad that seemed to find time for work and the family. All in all it seemed Kyra had had the perfect life and already Lumina was jealous, realising how shocked Kyra would be when she found out about the secrets of her past. Then again, this was still an introduction meeting, perhaps all was not perfect in Kyra's life, life is seldom perfect.

"You got a boyfriend back home?" Kyra asked, while running a brush through her luxurious, shining hair, her green eyes filling with cat-like curiosity.

"I did have," Lumina murmured, watching Kyra with envy, the girl was beautiful. "But we broke up before I came here, he didn't want the long-distance thing." She explained sadly. Kyra's lips formed a sympathetic "o" shape as she shook her head.

"Long term pimp?" She asked and Lumina frowned.

"Long term what?"

"Pimp… means boyfriend, man your hometown was isolated. Anyway, was it long term?" Kyra asked, rolling her round, kitten-like eyes.

"Yeah, I guess so. We were together over a year, and I figured we'd get married." Lumina replied, feeling a twinge of pain as she spoke about Rock.

"Man, I envy you. I've never done the long-term thing, never held onto a man for longer than a week, I get bored easily." Kyra said as though this was no big deal. She then spotted Lumina's slightly confused face and smiled. "It's not like I'm a whore or anything, it's just, once you've known a guy a week and done everything you can do, what's the point?"

"But there's so much point, it's amazing to get to know a person fully, to know them better than they know themselves. Plus the feeling of being in love is… breathtaking." Lumina explained, a dreamy expression forming on her face.

"Yeah, well I'm sure my soul mate's out there, but until then, I ain't holding onto a guy." Kyra said with a shrug. She then walked over to the bed from the large mirror near the shelves and stretched out. Lumina couldn't help but stare, Kyra was everything a girl should be: she had a perfect slender figure while busty at the same time. Her skin was as smooth as silk and more flawless than diamonds while her teeth were whiter than pure white marble. She had deliriously high cheek bones that led a perfect path to the most gorgeous cherry lips, a small button nose and two emerald eyes.

"I'm sure you'll find "the one" someday." Lumina assured her and Kyra grinned.

The two new acquaintances spent most of the night talking, finding out more useless information about each other and discussing exactly why they had come to the college. Apparently Kyra was a pretty skilled violinist and her father had practically forced her to leave the malls and broaden her horizons. As they learnt more and more about each other they became more interested, they were so different and had many lessons to take from each other. Eventually they fell asleep, after Lumina set her alarm for 7:30, the comfort of the beds whisking them away to dream land.

* * *

When the alarm let out it's shrill sound in the morning Lumina was sorely tempted to just hit it hard then turn over and go back to sleep. But she knew the briefing would be important, so she swung her legs out of bed and went to comb her hair and dress. She debated waking Kyra up, since it seemed she had slept through the alarm, she decided she had better and tapped the California girl on the shoulder.

"No Mom… I need my beauty sleep." Kyra complained, turning away from Lumina, who shrugged and fixed herself some breakfast. At 10 minutes to eight Lumina realised that Kyra would not wake up without being shaken.

"Kyra, get up. We have the briefing at 8, you can't miss it." She said loudly and Kyra opened her bleary eyes wide and then looked at the clock.

"Crap! Why didn't you wake me up?" She exclaimed pulling on some clothes and taking a bite of toast at the same time.

"I tried," Lumina offered with a helpless shrug. Kyra sighed, managing to look pretty even at this time of the morning. They then quickly hurried down to the main hall.

They took seats on the red chairs that lined the hall that all circled around a stage, making it look more like a theatre than a hall. On the stage stood a tall woman in a smart black suit and thin rimmed spectacles, she had wispy, orange hair that had been piled on her head to make it form a sort of hair pillar.

"Good morning Artists," she said in a vaguely French accent. "Welcome to Aurania Arts college, you're all on time I'm pleased to see. Good. Punctuality is important in this school, if you are late you will miss opportunities, that is the first and most important lesson for your time here."

She took a step across the stage, walking with a certain proud elegance that gave her authority, she surveyed the students worried faces, her thin lips remaining tight. "In this school you will learn to be artists, in every sense of the word, but not only will you learn that, you will learn valuable life lessons. Every student who graduates here is well-learned at the art of living, anyone who cannot keep up to the standards of our school… they will leave." She pointed over to the door for dramatic emphasis.

"Now you may be sitting there and thinking, who does this woman think she is? Well you can take the simple answer which is, I am the head of this college. Then there's the longer answer, during your stay here, I am _the law_. You fall out of line, you answer to me." Her voice rang out across the hall, rich and sharp, her authority pumping through the students veins along with the fear. "I want you to achieve your dreams here, to do that, you work with me, not against me. You may hate me, call me a witch, fine. But I'm here to teach you the hard lessons. Any questions?" She asked, raising an eyebrow that said: there had better not be.

A brave hand was lifted from the body of students by a cheeky boy, probably the class clown, he uttered in a voice that said he was trying not to laugh, "What's lesson two?"

"Don't make jokes that you believe to be at other people's expense, they will cost you dearly." Her eyes flashed dangerously and it seemed the speech was over.

Lumina and Kyra filed out with the other students, watching as people introduced themselves to the class clown and clapped him on the back. They overheard that his name was Oliver Whitehouse, they had a feeling they would see more of his antics throughout the year.

"Hello, who's that?" Kyra pointed with a predatory expression to a rather tall brunette boy standing with a sketch pad near a cherry tree. Kyra took her by the hand and pulled her over to the boy to introduce themselves.

"Hi there, I'm Kyra. Who might you be?" She said with a flirtatious expression on her face that Lumina had to roll her eyes at. The boy turned around pushing a side fringe to its correct side and gazing at them with the clearest blue eyes they had ever seen.

"I'm Angel," he said in a voice smooth as chocolate, his eyes seemed to shimmer as he said it. Lumina wasn't much for looking out at random guys and getting school girl crushes but she had to admit, this guy was the most gorgeous human being she had ever seen.

"Yes you are," Kyra said breathlessly, her green eyes shining with new lust.

"And you are?" Angel asked, focusing his electric blue eyes on Lumina.

"I'm Lumina, it's nice to meet you." She said softly, trying not to flush red under the intensity of his eyes. He smiled, running a hand through his chocolate hair, a delicious contrast against his peachy skin.

"It's a pleasure, well I must get to class, but I'll see you around some time hopefully." He said with a smile and they both nodded, watching as he turned away.

* * *

"Now _he _was dreamy," Kyra said later in the dorm room as Lumina began her first piece of homework, which already seemed like a lot. Although her speciality at college was to be her piano skills, the college liked to produce well-rounded students and so Lumina had to take art, a bit of drama and textiles.

"Hmm," Lumina murmured, not really paying attention to what her friend was saying.

"And I'm going to make him mine, watch and learn Lumina, this could be the best lesson anyone ever teaches you." Kyra informed her with a sly smile.

"Hmm," Lumina said again putting the finishing touches on her painting. Her eyes then widened as she realised what Kyra had said. "Wait, what?"

When you go to a new place or do a new thing you're learning all the time, you may even be taught hard lessons that you never wanted to learn. But if you go out and do something new you'll have some experiences, you'll make mistakes and you'll learn from them. But in the end you've got to choose whether you use these lessons to improve your life, or you don't put them to use at all.


	35. Stranger Than Fiction

35. Stranger than Fiction

"You know you don't have to do this…" Rock mumbled to Celia as she began to make him a bowl of homemade vegetable soup.

"Nonsense," she smiled, adding potatoes and cooking them over the fire. Rock sighed and leaned against the kitchen chair, admiring the ceiling of the farmhouse. "You miss her?"

"_Of course," _Rock thought bitterly, why wouldn't he miss her? It seemed almost too obvious to answer with a yes.

"You never should have broken up with her, you know." Celia pointed out, beginning to chop carrots in an almost too carefree way.

"Well you shouldn't have had an affair." Rock said defensively and seeing the pained look on her face he shook his head. "I'm sorry Celia… it still hurts."

"I know I shouldn't have had an affair… I wouldn't do it again." She said softly, her eyes downcast. She chopped the carrots harder now, the knife making a wooden sound as it hit the chopping board.

"I know, but I'd still break up with Lumina, if I had to do it all again." He told her and Celia turned to look at him, cocking her head. He sighed and began to explain. "She needs to see everything the world could give her, I'd just hold her back."

"It's noble of you to do that, but what if you lose her?" She asked, her eyes meeting his in a look of understanding. He didn't know what to say, his selfish thoughts said _"I can't lose her, why did I let her go?"_, but the rational part of his mind just nodded sadly and said _"then she's free to go."_

Before he had a chance to answer Celia suddenly ran to the bathroom and returned a few minutes later looking woozy.

"What's wrong?" Rock asked worriedly, standing up and placing hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"It's nothing," she murmured, shaking off the dizziness with a smile.

"Celia…"

"Honestly it's nothing… how thick would you like your soup?" She asked with a smile. Rock decided to leave the question for the moment, but he knew that he would need to ask her again. Celia kept her eyes on the food, trying not to worry. She had been throwing up every morning for the past few weeks and she was very late on her period. She furrowed her brows, Marlin hadn't touched her in months, she couldn't be pregnant. She passed the sickness off as merely bad food, or maybe some kind of stomach ailment, but something in her told her she would not be so lucky.

* * *

The end of summer sun leaked into the window of the lecture hall, bathing Lumina's face in golden light as she tried to concentrate on what her professor was saying about 18th century artists. Her golden eyes kept darting from the professor to the heavenly vision in the front row, Angel. The celestial light was surrounding his head like a halo of gold and, even though she couldn't see his face, her eyes were glued to him. With a sigh of relief she heard the bell ring and gathered her heavy books quickly before darting out of the classroom.

"Ughh," Kyra groaned, running up to meet Lumina with a bored look on her face. "How was your lecture? Bet you couldn't concentrate with dream boat, nope, dream all-expenses paid cruise boy sitting right in the front row."

Lumina blushed and then looked completely casual. "I don't know what you're talking about, he's just some guy. The only reason I wasn't concentrating was the sunlight, okay?"

"Yeah, the way the sunlight hits his oh-so-perfect cheekbones." Kyra snorted. Lumina shook her head condescendingly and ran a hand through her short honey coloured hair.

"So how was your lecture?" She asked, changing the subject quickly and Kyra shrugged, pulling out a pocket mirror and applying more lip gloss, she had free hands as she never seemed to carry around any books.

"It's not as though I paid much attention, something about… philosophy of art… maybe?" She rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip and standing in a typical as-if-I-care pose. Lumina giggled as she pulled a timetable from her satchel and checked her next subject, as it turned out she had a free while Kyra had violin lessons, so she headed to the courtyard to get in some much needed sunbathing, she could catch up with work later. She took a seat under a cherry tree and leant against the rough bark, the sunlight filtering through the foliage and hitting her face in a pattern, dappled by the leaves.

"Mind if I join you?" A sweet voice that could melt butter floated on the summer breeze to her ears, it was unmistakably Angel. She opened her eyes, their golden beauty worshipped his form, offering him gold as a gift.

"Of course, take a seat." She said with a smile that seemed a little too big. He grinned back, showing a set of perfectly white teeth. He sat down on the ground and closed his crystal blue eyes while she struggled to take her eyes off him. They were silent for a few minutes before he turned his beautiful eyes to her and spoke.

"How are you finding being away from home?" He asked amiably and her smile faded.

"It's difficult," she admitted, her eyes darting to the ground. "I miss my friends, I miss my ex-boyfriend and his… my family."

"His family is your family?" He asked curiously and she nodded with a sheepish smile.

"Kinda, they're all I've got." She told him, her eyes showed no emotion now, she had already stopped showing sadness at her lack of family. Most people would have pressured her for details of how she had come to lose a family, which seemed a little too careless to most, but he simply nodded with understanding.

"Do you have a family?" She had to ask, perhaps he had lost his too? That would explain why he understood.

"I have a family, fine folk, they're back home in Sunair, Alabama. Whereabouts are you from?" He asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Forget-me-not valley, that's an island, you won't have heard of it."

"Sorry to say I haven't. So how are you finding being so far away, do you feel you've learnt a lot already?" He asked, his eyes seemed so much more alive than everything else in the world right now, they seemed to be all she could see. She mulled over the question for a moment, running her tongue over her teeth and eventually she nodded.

"Yeah, I guess in a way I have." She smiled and he beamed back.

"Me too, I figure there's a lot to learn about life here, and art of course."

"Yeah, what do you want to do when you leave?" She asked leaning her chin on her hand while lying on the ground and looking up at him. He went quiet and she frowned, had she said something wrong? He then smiled again and shook his head.

"I don't want to think that far ahead." He told her and she nodded, it seemed fair enough.

"Well anyway, I'd better go to my room and pick up some more books before class, but I'd like to see you again, you seem… different." He told her honestly, normally if a guy said that she would exhale loudly and tell him that every guy said that. But somehow when Angel said it, it sounded like he meant it, like he wasn't trying to pick her up, he just wanted to get to know her.

"That would be nice," she said with a genuine smile.

"Really? Great, my dorm room's number 333, so come by and visit."

"Can I bring a friend?" She asked thinking of Kyra and he nodded.

"The more the merrier." He exclaimed before beginning to walk off and turning to smile at her one more time. She sighed dreamily, breathing in the sweet summer air with a feeling of euphoria. She knew that Kyra would probably want to visit him as soon as possible and she was happy with that, every moment spent with Angel was a moment spent in heaven. But she knew that he would probably go out with Kyra soon, after all Kyra was irresistible and so was Angel.

Later that evening Lumina and Kyra put on their favourite outfits and headed over to room 333 with great anticipation. Kyra had hugged Lumina at least fifty times for finding out Angel's room number and had insisted they visited him almost immediately. They knocked on the big oak door and Lumina shuffled her feet to try and quell the butterflies in her stomach. Angel opened the door, his eyes filled with warmth, he already seemed dressed up even though he couldn't have been expecting them.

"Lumina… Kyra… it's great of you to come. Come on in," he lead them into a big room with luxurious white carpets and two white sofas set around a coffee table. At the sides of the room were three doors and Lumina assumed one must lead to a bedroom and one to a kitchen and one to a bathroom.

"Your dorm room is amazing… how is it you have different rooms?" Lumina asked, her eyes wide as she surveyed the beauty of his room.

"Well my uncle is a good friend of the Headmistress and used to work here, so he decided to pull a few strings and get me an apartment rather than a room for a surprise. Honestly I'd rather have a regular room and a room mate, I don't need all this space. So come visit whenever you want." He said with genuine kindness.

"Wow," Kyra enthused. "That's _ever _so kind of you, it's so nice to meet a guy who's handsome, smart _and _generous. I think I've… _we've _hit the jackpot." She flashed her perfect white teeth at him and he smiled sheepishly, that amount of flattery was too much even for him. Lumina might have watched this show of flirting with amazement, but instead she was admiring a painting on his wall. It was a painting of clouds and golden light and the clouds seemed to make the shape of angels and cherubs with their wings unfolded.

"You like the picture?" Angel asked, spotting that Lumina was gazing at it so intently. She nodded, wanting to run her fingers across the smooth oil paints on canvas. "My father painted it after I told him about a dream I had, where all the clouds formed a picture of the heavens." He smiled at the memory, his sparkling blue eyes fogging over. "He said that I was special, that was why he called me Angel."

"That name suits you," Kyra interrupted sweetly, running a hand down his strong back. "Angels are supposed to be perfect and beautiful… your parents must have known you'd turn out like this."

"I think they wanted me to shine light on people, to help people, perfection had nothing to do with it." He told her seriously and she flushed at that, it seemed regular flattery wouldn't win him over. She pouted for a moment, running through her favourite flirting techniques in her head, she knew how to flirt with any guy, but Angel might pose a challenge. A challenge was good, she liked the chase more than the relationship.

"I simply _love_ your fathers painting, he must have been very skilled."

"Not really, he painted for love, to bring my vision to life he said." Angel said softly, Lumina somehow detected some sadness in his voice and she studied him for a moment. Women's intuition told her that his past might have been just as rocky as hers.

"Your father… is he okay?" She asked and Angel looked at her with eyes dulled with sadness.

"He had a car accident, his writing hand and one of his legs were severed. It's a miracle he's alive. He… he wanted to live his life through me, so he sent me here to become an artist." He replied sadly, he then shook his head and returned a weak smile to his face. "But you know what it's like to lose people completely Lu, I shouldn't complain."

"It's terrible to lose anything, who's to say my loss was worse than yours." She whispered, she was amazed by how much they had in common and as he looked at her with those understanding blue eyes she felt whole, like she hadn't in a long time.

"Oh that's simply _terrible_, what a bitch of a thing to happen, well you'll get over it." She said with a shrug, batting her eyelashes and Lumina snorted, Kyra may now how to flirt but she sure as hell didn't know how to be genuinely sympathetic.

Angel glanced at Kyra with a slight frown then turned his attention back to Lumina, "It's strange that we both lost people and that you lost so many. Sometimes I think that truth is stranger than fiction."

Lumina nodded, that seemed to sum it up, the strange events of her life that, had she read it in a book she would have classed as over-dramatic and would never happen, were stranger than fiction. "I completely agree,"

"Would you look at the time, Lu, we have to go." Kyra said, bored of a conversation that she had no part in. She wrapped her slender arms around Angel and hugged him she then grabbed Lumina's hand and pulled her out of the door before she could say goodbye properly.

"What was that about?" Lumina asked as soon as they were outside and Kyra rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, Lu, could you be any more selfish? Look, I know you and Angel get along like a goddamn house on fire, maybe even a whole forest fire, but you can see that I like him and you have a boyfriend back home." Kyra hissed and Lumina frowned.

"Ex-boyfriend," she pointed out and then seeing Kyra's expression added, "look he's just a friend okay. It's not like he'd ever like me as more than a friend anyway."

"That's true," Kyra said, breathing a sigh of relief. "God, sorry, what was I thinking? You could never get a guy like that."

"I could never have a guy like that," Lumina agreed. She sighed, there were many reasons why she could never have Angel, partly because he was just too good for her, but mostly because of Rock. As they stood outside his door, Angel suddenly came outside.

"Good, I didn't miss you. Lumina, I was thinking, maybe if you're not too busy you'd like to have coffee sometime?" He asked, looking directly at her.

"You mean just me and you?" She asked in surprise, she then caught Kyra's frown. "Like a date?"

"Yeah I guess so… are you busy?"

"No…"

"Good, you're not busy." He said with a smile and Lumina shook her head.

"No… I mean, I can't date you. I'm sorry." She didn't know what came over her but suddenly she just ran, leaving Angel in Kyra's clutches.

She sat out in the darkened courtyard looking over at the same cherry tree she had sat under with Angel. It all seemed so stupid now, how could she ever think she could become close to a guy like him and not be interested? She had known he was forbidden fruit for so many reasons, Rock being the main one, but Rock hadn't even crossed her mind in the last few days.

"_I'm sorry, Rock," _she thought, a silent tear slipping down her cheek. She looked up at the thousands of stars. _"I miss you more than those times a million… and I love you." _The twinkling stars gazed down at her, there were thousands of them and to those who looked up at them it would seem as though those shining stars were so close together, there seemed no way they could be alone, yet in truth each one was billions of miles away from each other, solitary.

* * *

Jack turned another page of the wedding planning magazine, still unable to believe he was actually reading one, it just didn't seem right for a guy to do. Then again, he could use the fact that he wasn't actually taking any information in as a defence to say he hadn't quite turned into a woman.

"I can't believe I'm getting married," he murmured in awe to himself. Then he got that feeling again, the one where his stomach leapt to the top of his chest and then right down to the bottom again, like when someone hit the weight on a "test your strength" contest at the carnival and the lead weight flew up and then quickly plummeted again.

"I'm getting married… that's weird." He told himself and was shocked to hear a voice reply.

"Is it though?"

"Carter… you're in the inn…?" Jack looked confused, he rarely saw the priest venture from the church, let alone to visit a place that sold spirits to people, the only spirit Carter liked was the holy one.

"I felt someone needed advice,"

"You have a sixth sense for that?" Jack asked in amazement, scratching his head and watching a modest look appear on Carter's face.

"Why of course, what kind of priest would I be if I didn't?"

"A normal one…"

Carter ignored the comment and looked seriously into Jack's startled eyes. "But how do you feel about this, I don't want to see Ann hurt, but don't rush into anything you're not ready for…"

Jack gawked at him for a moment, shouldn't he really go to the confession booth for stuff like this? He ran a hand through his hair, he couldn't deny that he had been thinking about that, he didn't want to hurt Ann for anything in the world, and what if marriage was wrong for them? But whenever that thought popped into his head he just remembered how much he loved her, wasn't that really all that mattered?

"So what flowers are best for a wedding?" Jack asked brightly and Carter smiled, somehow he'd said the right thing. "It's a fall wedding… so fall flowers? Or roses?"

"I'm sure whatever you pick will be just fine…"

"Have you _met _Ann?" Jack asked incredulously and Carter paled slightly.

"Nothing with thorns," he suggested before standing up and striding gracefully back to the sanctuary of the church.

"Nothing poisonous either," Jack breathed before flicking back through the magazine. He never would have believed he was marrying the most easily-angered girl he'd ever met, he laughed, life is strange sometimes.

* * *

Celia ran a hand over her stomach tentatively, was there life there? Unwanted life? No, life could never be unwanted by her, if the seed had been planted then she would let it grow, no matter where it came from. But if there was a child within her, then it wasn't Marlin's and he could never know that. She watched him enter the house with false lustful eyes, she was simply wearing her underwear and hoping this was a bold enough statement to be noticed. He barely even glanced in her direction and she sighed, his mind must have been focused on work.

"Marlin, sweetie," she began shyly, batting her eyelashes seductively. He looked at her and she saw him swallow, his eyes widening a little.

"Celia… where… where are your clothes?" He gasped and she had to resist rolling her eyes.

"You haven't touched me in months Marlin, I miss you so much!" She said dramatically, it was enough to get his attention. Hell, Marlin may have been as frigid as a winter's day and as cold as a glacier but he was still a man, a man who hadn't been with his wife in a long, _long_ time. He quickly closed the gap between them and melted her with a steaming kiss, needy and passionate, Celia was shocked.

"God I've missed you," he said softly and she kissed him again, relieved her plan was working.

"_Don't worry, you'll have a father,"_ she thought to the life that might be in her womb, if deceit was what she needed to save it, then she'd use deceit. Her motherly instincts were kicking in, and she would lie as much as necessary to take care of this child.

The next morning Celia wandered down to the spring for some fresh air and promptly was sick, was this really happening? Was she really pregnant with another man's child, and was she really going to lie to her husband? She breathed in the cool air, trying to swallow down the nausea. She could see the signs of autumn approaching everywhere, the leaves were slowly turning yellow and the breeze caressed her cheek with a certain briskness. It was the time of year when the seeds had been planted and now it was time for the harvest, to harvest the fruits of ones labour.

"_What's done is done, I shall reap what I have sown. What else can I do?" _She thought to herself, gazing thoughtfully up at the sky, which was currently grey, the colour of her reflective eyes.

"_I'm pregnant with a hippy's baby, Nami doesn't even know he had an affair, she still greets me in the same way. Marlin knows about the affair but not the baby…" _she summed up in her head. _"Sometime life truly is stranger than fiction."_


	36. Eternal

36. Eternal

Jack hung up the phone and shuddered quickly, he hated calling his mother so much, everything she said seemed condescending. Yet he was shocked to find that she was actually pleased that he was settling, although she would have liked to have met the lucky girl first. He breathed, dialling another number that he dreaded more, his estranged brother. He hadn't spoken to his brother much since he had found him in bed with his girlfriend at the time and if he was honest, he dreaded introducing him to Ann. But at the end of the day, family was family and he wanted them there.

After he hung up the phone he cringed, talking to his family was certainly no picnic, but his brother had agreed to come, only in the hope that there would be hot babes present.

"Hey sweetie," Ann said, pecking Jack on the cheek and squeezing his shoulders to relieve some tension. "I'm sure your family aren't _that_ bad."

"Wait till you meet them," Jack sighed turning around to pull her into his arms. "Just promise you'll stay with me even after you meet them?"

"They're that bad?"

"Worse,"

"Ah… well I'm not making any promises," she joked then she saw the look on his face and nodded. "Of course I'll stay, when I say till death parts us I'll mean it."

"Don't take it so literally you decide to kill me…"

She hushed him and slapped him on the arm playfully, her sky blue eyes shining beams of love over him.

"I love you… so much," he whispered against her ear, sending a tickling sensation down her neck.

"You'd better," she replied with smile and kissed him on the cheek again. "Anyway, I'm going over the food preparations with Dad, so I'll see you in a bit."

"Alright Honey," Jack smiled and then watched her walk down into the kitchen. He tapped his foot, deciding whether to invite more family or not, he decided against it and instead wondered whether he should invite some of Forget-Me-Not valley. Would it be weird if he invited Lumina? Bottom line was, he wanted her there and she had moved on before he had, so he decided to call up the inn and ask.

"Hello, Rock, is that you?" Jack asked, after returning from his walk and dialling the inn number.

"Too lazy to walk here?" Rock joked and Jack laughed.

"Nope, I'm trying not to interfere with your lives."

"I've noticed," Rock said somewhat coldly and Jack frowned, the words were chilly coming from Rock.

"Come again?"

"You've missed a hell of a lot, Jack." Rock said with a deep breath and Jack felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck from the way Rock had said it.

"Could Lumina fill me in?" Jack asked, partly because he didn't want to talk to this moody Rock any more but mostly because he had the craving to hear her voice.

"She's not here,"

"Well then when she comes back…"

"No, Jack, she's not even in the valley… by phone isn't the way you should be caught up about all this." Rock told him and Jack frowned, he wasn't liking the sound of any of this. Lumina gone? That just wasn't right, what could bring her to leave the valley? What news could be so bad that Rock couldn't tell him over the phone?

"Oh…"

"Could you get over to the inn tomorrow maybe? I'll tell you everything then." Rock promised and Jack thought deeply. He really didn't have the time to traipse over to Forget-Me-Not valley to hear about the escapades of his ex-girlfriend, but then again, it seemed like something he needed to know.

"Well I'm really busy at the moment…" Jack hesitated for a second then made up his mind. "Sure, I'll head over tonight in fact, is that okay?"

"Perfect, see you then…" Rock replied and Jack nodded, hanging up the phone. He ran his tongue over his teeth in thought, something didn't sound right.

* * *

Lumina watched Angel from across the room, instead of focusing on the landcape painting she was supposed to be concentrating on. She knew it was so wrong, she knew watching him was becoming an addiction, yet she just couldn't take her eyes off him. He was the _definition _of art, in fact art looked like garbage in comparison to him. He was more perfect than any chiselled statue, any statue that was too beautiful to be realistically human, he was more perfect than them, he was there in the flesh. He looked over at her, his sparkling eyes curious and she immediately blushed looking back at her incomplete painting.

"_He can't be yours, just let Kyra have him," _she told herself, trying to keep her eyes anywhere but on him. She looked across the room to where Kyra was, this was one of the only classes they had together. She could see her striking green eyes watching him, like those of a cat watching her prey, for her look was that of a predator. The tall, bearded professor nodded at them all to stop and pack up their supplies before striding out of the room. She put away her paints and then raised her golden eyes to watch Angel walk over towards her with a well-meaning smile on his face.

"About that coffee," she heard herself say before she'd even realised it. She glanced over and spotted Kyra watching her with slanted eyes, _oops_.

"You've reconsidered?" Angel asked with an amiable smile and she looked thoughtful.

"Well not as a date thing, but I figured we could talk maybe?" She asked fidgeting with the hem of the smooth cashmere sweater that Kyra had let her borrow. Angel continued smiling although a little of the heavenly light faded from his perfect eyes.

"Of course, do you have a free after lunch?"

"Yep,"

"Then I'll see you in Café Du Lac around twelve then?" He suggested and she smiled, her pink lips curving sweetly. "Good see you then,"

She watched as he walked off and then noticed that Kyra was stalking towards her with an irate look on her face. "What the hell was that?" She demanded.

"I want to talk to him…" she began, then saw the displeased look on Kyra's face and swallowed. "To talk about you."

"Me?" Kyra asked with a perfectly shaped brown eyebrow raised, she looked bored but the tone of her voice spoke otherwise.

"Yeah, I want to encourage him to ask you out, push him in the right direction…" she said softly, that was _such_ a total _lie_. Lumina didn't know where the words were coming from but they seemed pleasing to Kyra and so they just kept flowing, like an alcoholic pouring out a generous measure of wine.

"Oh, well that's okay then. Let me know how it goes, I'll catch up later, I have music now." She said with a wink that seemed to demonstrate her charming power over people, absolute power.

"Yeahuh," Lumina nodded and walked quickly away, she was looking forward to zoning out in her textiles class.

* * *

Jack walked up to the door of the inn at Forget-Me-Not valley that evening, with a feeling of apprehension like a lead weight in his stomach. He had no idea what news he would be hearing today, but he knew it wasn't good. He rapped on the door, even though he'd never felt the need to knock on an inn door before, he now felt too much like a stranger to just barge in. Rock opened the door with tired eyes, a deep frown formed on his lips.

"Come in, I'll make us some tea." He said tiredly, letting go of the door and walking over to the kitchen, expecting Jack to follow. He filled a kettle with water and heated it up, meanwhile searching for his mother's soothing tea mixture, it seemed the right occasion. He set up the fire and then took a seat opposite Jack on the table and for a moment they both stared at each other, spotting the differences between these live models and the images in their heads.

"I'm guessing I'm not going to like the news," Jack said breaking the silence and Rock nodded with a blank face.

"Not all of it," he said bitterly, his voice wavered slightly, and he looked as though he was still healing from a hundred invisible wounds. "It all started after you left…"

So Rock talked and Jack listened, shocked and horrified at the things he was hearing, but he guessed hearing about it was nowhere near so bad as experiencing it. He was filled with so many different emotions as the heavy weight of guilt was placed upon his shoulders.

"I can't believe Takakura killed Lumina's parents… my father trusted him." Jack murmured, shaking his head while Rock watched him carefully.

"No one suspected him, besides, a man changes when he's all alone. We don't speak ill of him, not now he's dead."

"But still, everything… Why didn't you tell me this in your letters?" Jack said, his face paling, this news was something very shocking too.

"I kept you informed about her coma and you didn't come to see her… I figured you would."

"I should have…" He quickly changed the subject. "And now she's at some arts school, man, I never thought she'd leave the valley. Do you have a contact number for her?" Jack asked, he wanted to talk to Lumina even more desperately now, she seemed so far away.

Rock shrugged, his eyes looking at the ground vacantly.

"You mean you haven't talked to her at all?" Jack asked incredulously, he knew Rock had broken up with Lumina before she left, but he would have guessed they'd at least be friends.

"Sebastian may have her number… Look Jack, I'm not saying breaking up with her was right, I just want to sever all my ties with her for now. She needs to get on with her life without any reminders of the valley…" Rock said, looking at him with dangerous eyes. "I don't think you should call her,"

"I get you wanting to protect her, but she's going to be thinking about the valley anyway, and I need to call her…"

"Fine… but I've got to ask, why now?" Rock queried, his eyes were slanted and he still looked tired, even after the tea.

"Why what now?" He asked, looking confused.

"Why did you want to hear how Lumina is getting on now?"

"Oh, well… I forgot to tell you, I'm getting married and I wanted to invite some people from the valley to the wedding…" Jack said with a slight smile, although in this grey picture of depression that Rock had painted he doubted sharing his happiness with anyone here would actually work.

"Oh… do you have a list of people you want to invite? You should go tell people."

"Yeah, to be honest I really wanted to just invite Lumina, I was closest to her, but you and your family are welcome to come…" Jack admitted and Rock shook his head. "Well alright then, I suppose I'll ask Sebastian for the details. But I'm really surprised you don't have them…"

"I told you… we broke up."

"So?"

"So, it's over." Rock said coldly as though Jack were some dumb, annoying kid. Jack smiled slightly shaking his head.

"I just never thought it would be like that with you two, I mean sure you're broken up, sure you want her to get on with her life, but at the end of the day, I think you're soul mates. I don't think anything can truly come between you two." Jack told him and Rock looked up at him and smiled, the first time Jack had seen him smile since he had arrived. Jack smiled back and turned to leave.

"Oh and Jack?" Rock said, Jack looked back at him with questioning eyes. "Congratulations, I wish you an eternity of happiness."

"You too buddy."

* * *

Café du Lac was a small, well-decorated little French-style café just off campus of the college; it had a flower-filled garden at the back with rows of tables covered with red and white checkered cloths. It was well known to the students for making the best coffee, tea or other hot drink around, and it's "croque monsieurs" were a delicious sandwich alternative. Lumina dropped another sugar cube into her coffee, stirring the milky mixture slowly with a thoughtful expression. She then blew on a spoonful of her reviving liquid and tipped it into her mouth, savouring the flavour of caffeine.

"I'm not late am I?" Came the angelic voice that she had longed to hear. She dropped her spoon into the cup blushing and standing up.

"No not at all," she murmured, feeling rather stupid for having stood up and took a seat back down again. She watched Angel with dreamy eyes as he went to order his coffee, returning with a toasted cheese sandwich to share.

"Thanks for meeting me," he smiled and she felt herself melt like the cheese in the sandwich.

"Uh… of course, hey, I should be thanking you. There are girls at college who would pay all their riches for a coffee with you." She told him with an eyebrow raised. He blushed slightly and she was awed by it, if you've never seen an angel blush you can't understand the feeling of seeing a glorious being feel embarrassment, it's somehow humbling.

"It's… you make me sound like a player," he said with slight bitterness and she shook her head quickly.

"I don't mean that I just mean… you're perfect…" She said guiltily, raising her eyes to meet his.

"Now how does anyone know that?" He asked with a doubtful eyebrow raised and she sighed almost dreamily.

"It's a little too obvious, especially with the name. Every girl wants to date you, why won't you give one of them a chance?" She inquired, she was doing the non-selfish thing and trying to help Kyra score a date. After all if _she _couldn't have him then at least Kyra should have the chance.

"I tried, you turned me down… remember?" He told her casually surveying her carefully with ocean blue eyes.

"Yes but I kind of have a boyfriend… ex-boyfriend… kind of thing… it's complicated." She admitted eventually, pursing her lips. He laughed and it was a musical sound, the sweetest mirth she had ever heard.

"Why don't you explain…?" He suggested, and she did. She explained everything and he just listened, never taking his blue eyes from her golden orbs. Somehow when she revealed her heart to him she felt relieved, he seemed to understand everything but he remained looking at her thoughtfully.

"So that's why I can't… can't be more than your friend," she said, her heart aching with each word, and somehow she could see her words stabbing his heart too. "But… Kyra…" she tried hopelessly, feeling a lot like a martyr, in pain for her friends happiness.

"You want me to date Kyra?" He asked, his blue eyes were piercing asking her for the truth. She swallowed hard, her heart screamed, _"no, no" _but her brain told her it was only right.

"Yes," she sighed helplessly. She then turned her eyes back down to her coffee, she couldn't bear the look of disappointment on his face.

"Okay then, I guess I'll ask her out if that's okay with you?" He asked, she could tell he was trying to smoke her out, make her admit at least some feeling for him. She bit her lip, still unable to look into his intense eyes.

"Why are you asking me? It's all up to you right?" She said bravely, looking up at him with challenging fire in her eyes.

He nodded reluctantly and took a sip of his coffee. "I'll do it then,"

"Fine," she said angrily, standing up but not looking at him, she didn't trust herself to. She could feel tears burning in the corner of her eyes, he couldn't see those, they would give everything away. She ran off and left him to sit alone with his thoughts.

She ran into the dorm room and found Kyra waiting for her like a spider would wait for its prey on the web, she stood immediately.

"Well?" She demanded and Lumina looked up at her with pained eyes. "What did he say?"

"He… he said he'd ask you out." She said, her voice was filled with bitterness.

"That's brilliant… jeez, what's got your knickers in a twist?"

"It's nothing," Lumina said trying to force a smile onto her face and wiping the tears from her eyes. "Look, I'm gonna take a nap, I'm not feeling so well…"

"Fine, whatever, feel better and all that, I'm gonna go find Angel… oooh I'm so excited." She gushed and went to check her makeup at the mirror.

* * *

Jack paced furiously across the path in front of the church, most of the town had already gathered in their places for the wedding, it was the first day of fall, the wedding seemed to have come so fast, Jack hadn't realised it was so soon. He was waiting for his brother and mother to arrive, two people who right now he really didn't need to see, why had he invited them again?

"Yo, brother!" The voice of his brother rang loud across Mineral town. The man stood proudly in an old suit that Jack guessed had belonged to his father, that his mother had probably forced him into before they left. The man who was two years his senior stood proudly, he was a lot broader than him with darker eyes and darker hair, and even a darker personality if you got to know him.

"Mark…" Jack said softly, his brother embraced him and clapped him hard on the back.

"Small town, we almost sailed past it!" He said in his extra-loud voice with a wink. Jack forced a laugh although it came out more nervous.

"Hey mom," he said hugging his mother. She wasn't like hugging a soft, cuddly mother, instead she was built like an ironing board, rigid and tall.

"Couldn't have had the wedding in our church at home?" She began her nagging which Jack hurriedly ignored.

"Why don't you guys go settle down in the church," he suggested and they turned to walk in. "Oh and… try not to talk to people…" he added. He then checked his watch, Ann was going to be there soon so he decided to go and wait in the church and chat to Carter. With a frown he spotted that Mark had already "introduced himself" to some of the girls and was flirting heavily. Jack sighed, _"remind me why I invited him again?" _he cursed himself mentally, not one of his brightest ideas.

He stood at the alter shifting his weight from cold foot to cold foot, wondering whether he should just run for it or not. But all his doubts flew away like feathers on the wind as soon as Ann appeared in her pure white wedding dress, her blue eyes sparkling with happiness. He sucked in a lungful of air as he gazed at her walking gracefully towards him, he was only dimly aware of the music playing and the other people in the room. Her sunset golden hair had been clipped into an elaborate pattern on top of her pretty head, her eyes that were smoked with the tiniest bit of kohl stood out like big, blue sapphires. The skirts of her heaven-white dress flowed around her as though she was wearing a veil made from snow, she beamed up at him and he felt his knees grow weak.

"You look beautiful," he breathed and watched as the smile he loved spread across her rosy lips.

"Are you ready to get married?"

"Of course,"

* * *

The ceremony went without a hitch… well with just one hitch, and that was the couple getting hitched. Even Jack's brother managed to pipe down in order to appreciate the blessed union of souls… or the bride's cleavage, but either way he was silent. Jack and Ann had decided to spend their honeymoon on an island for couples not too far away called Sunny Bay, which was known for it's golden beaches, warm sun and rolling ocean. Jack was reluctant to leave Mark and his mother who had decided to stay in the inn until their return, he knew that the chances they would return to chaos would be high. But he was going to spend a week away with the woman he loved more than anything, how could he even begin to worry yet?

Ann stood in a summer dress, waiting by the harbour with the suitcases. Jack arrived with their passports and pecked her lightly on the lips.

"Will you love me forever Jack?" She asked randomly and he grinned, he no longer had any fear about these questions.

"Of course… for eternity." He assured her, picking up the suitcases to hand them to Zack.

"Forever is a long time Jack…" she said softly, her eyes were wide and he couldn't help but wonder why she thought about this now. He supposed it was because this truly was the start of their marriage, the beginning of their happily ever after.

"When I'm with you, it's not long enough." He knew the words were corny, but somehow they soothed Ann and she grinned as he helped her onto the boat.

"So long Mineral town, see you in a week." He mumbled over the roar of the ocean. Then they were off on an adventure that would last them a lifetime… their marriage.


	37. The Future

37. The Future

"The future is now ladies and gentleman!" The bald man announced from the podium on the stage. He was visiting the college for free to tell the students about how their future was imminent, somehow that just didn't seem to make sense to Lumina. How could the future be now? Only the present is now, and that soon becomes the past, in fact as soon as you say it then it is technically in the past… her head hurt.

"You're all procrastinating, you're putting your lives off until the future. You need to grasp what you want now, because soon it might not be available." He told them, pacing across the stage and staring down at them for emphasis.

"What's he on about?" Kyra whispered and Lumina shrugged, she was too busy gazing sadly over at Angel to listen. "Will you stop watching my boyfriend?"

"Huh…" Lumina said vacantly, she then flushed after realising what Kyra had said. "He asked you out?"

"Not yet… but he will soon," she hissed and Lumina shrugged again. She was debating whether or not she regretted unselfishly asking her crush to go out with her best friend. She snapped her glance away from Angel and focused her attention on the speaker, he was too tall for his own good and seemed to lean precariously over the edge of the stage.

"I'm going to be speaking to you all each morning to encourage all of you to take a grasp on your lives… carpe diem ladies and gentlemen, carpe diem! Seize the day!" He announced before gesturing for them to leave. His words brought forth a memory from Lumina's mind bringing with it a feeling of nostalgia.

"Carpe diem, Rock,"

"What?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows and wondering if she had sneezed. She sighed and then smiled.

"Seize the day."

"Oh."

She shook her head, trying to pay attention to the present rather than the past. How was she supposed to concentrate on making her future now when her past seemed to stalk her? She looked over at Kyra flirting with Angel and felt jealousy run through her veins like poison.

"Seize the day Angel… ask me out!" Kyra said bluntly, her green eyes burning into his blue ones with a lustful look.

"Kyra… I was going to ask you on a date first…" He explained calmly and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine, dinner, tomorrow night, be there." She ordered before turning away with a flick of her hair and walking down the hall. Lumina smiled amiably at him and walked over.

"Sounds like you just got forced into a date," she told him giggling, her eyes then widened, how bitchy did that sound?

"You told me to ask her out, Lu, are you sure this is what you want?" He asked with inquisitive blue eyes and she bit down on her lip hard. "You can let the past go you know…"

"No," she said firmly. "No I can't, the past is a part of who I am, it doesn't just go away because I've met someone new."

"There'll come a time when you have to choose between clinging to your past and getting on with your future," he warned, yet it sounded more like a prediction than a threat, as though he somehow knew this would happen. She frowned and turned away, she then turned back quickly with an afterthought.

"Maybe, but maybe my past is part of my future. Rock is my future…" She told him, although it sounded more like she was convincing herself than him.

* * *

"I like your dress," Lumina told Kyra who was dressed in a slinky, black, strapless number that came just down to her toned thighs. Kyra added the final touched to her makeup and sprayed on some expensive perfume.

"I used Daddy's credit card," she said with a shrug, running a hand through her mahogany hair to give it a slightly messed with look. Lumina nodded and picked up her book on famous pianists, running her eyes over the page between glancing at Kyra enviously. Did Angel find Kyra prettier than her?

"You look nice,"

"I know, Lu, you really should get your nose out of that book and go somewhere tonight…" Kyra told her with a look of sympathy and Lumina rolled her eyes.

"Like where?" She asked sceptically, "besides I have no one to walk with."

"You're such a baby, right, well I'll see you when I get back. With any luck that shouldn't be until tomorrow morning." She told Lumina with a sexy wink before turning and walking out of the door. Lumina shuddered as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, it could have been envy pains or even heartache, she didn't know. She just knew that letting go of Angel was one of the stupidest things she had ever done, but maybe it was for the best. After all, she was sure she was still in love with Rock, why throw that away for some random guy?

"Angel's not some random guy… he's perfect…" Her mind told her sadly and she swallowed hard, well she'd blown it now.

* * *

Celia adjusted the hem of her skirt to cover her slightly growing stomach, really she just looked bloated, but she was worried of suspicion. She was still trying to curb her hormones just for a little bit longer until she told Marlin about her pregnancy, she was still wondering whether to tell Gustafa the child was his or not.

"Maybe this should be my secret…" she thought, after all, if she kept it to herself it couldn't get to the wrong ears.

"Celia," Marlin called from downstairs as she quickly took her hands from her stomach and went to see him.

"Yes Marlin?" She asked meekly and he beamed at her. Things between them were now better than ever, there was no way she could spoil that by telling him about the baby.

"I've been thinking… about the future." He told her and she looked at him curiously. "I think we should try for a baby."

Celia's eyes widened, did he know about her baby? She swallowed hard and looked at his face filled with love and devotion, this was just a coincidence.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Marlin." She beamed and he leant over to kiss her and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"We have so much to discuss, where will we keep it?" Marlin said excitedly and she smiled, things were turning out better than she had expected.

* * *

Jack lugged the suitcases from the boat, they both seemed a lot heavier than when he and Ann had first set out on their week filled with love. Ann seemed to have bought every souvenir known to man, most of them junk, and he had bought home a couple of different plants.

"Ann… did you pack one of the locals accidentally?" He asked, wiping the sweat from his sunburned brow. She shook her head and lifted one of the suitcases he was struggling with easily.

"No dear, I did pack a porpoise though," she joked and he chuckled. Zack rushed over to greet them, clapping Jack on the back and hugging Ann, he then took the suitcases from them and lead them to the inn.

When they arrived there wasn't quite the welcoming party they had expected, merely Doug looking rather angry.

"Get your brother off this island!" He yelled as soon as Jack entered and he froze, he had completely forgotten about his brother. He sighed and took a seat at one of the tables, he had known leaving him there would be a bad idea.

"What's he done this time?" Jack asked with an eyebrow raised and watched a thick vein bulge out of Doug's neck. Jack had never seen him this angry at anyone, especially not at him, he never wanted to get on the wrong side of Doug again.

"He's made all of the girls dump their boyfriends, they're all arguing between them who gets him, people have stopped doing their jobs because they don't feel like it! This is chaos!" Doug yelled, looking like a fierce lion as he roared.

Jack looked over at Ann who looked a little shocked. "Damage control?" He suggested and she nodded. Just then Mark walked in, dressed in low riding jeans and a tight, tie-dye t-shirt he looked very out of place.

"Dude, you're home!"

"What the hell have you done?"

"Just had some fun," Mark told Jack innocently as he grabbed himself a beer.

"Where's mom?" Jack demanded and Mark shrugged.

"I dunno… I think she went to nag the Mayor." Mark yawned and Jack gulped.

"Honey, how do you feel about moving?" He suggested to Ann who looked very unimpressed. Suddenly a noise sounded at the door and a group of angry girls gathered, looking as though they should be wielding pitchforks and torches.

"Oh look…" Jack said sarcastically, "the welcoming committee."

"Your brother is a menace to society!" Ellie shouted, her face flushed with anger.

"He's a jerk!" Popuri added, her eyes tearful and wide, staring at Mark accusingly.

"He used me!" Came a slightly masculine voice and Jack turned around with a shocked expression to see Rick. Jack gawped at him and Karen stood angrily by his side, she seemed to be debating who to kill first, Mark or Rick.

"MARK!" Jack shouted, a traumatised expression tracing across his face. "What the hell happened here?"

Mark chuckled and walked over to the mob to wrap his arm around them, as though proving he was in no danger. "What can I say… they love me here!"

"I mean… what did you do?" Jack demanded and Mark shrugged, leaning against Rick with a superior expression.

"More like "who did I do?" Brother! You've missed so much this past week, I've gotta say, village people are fun." He smirked and placed a hand on Popuri's shoulder. Jack's eyes widened as he looked at the villagers with horror.

"You all…?" He began and trailed off as they nodded. "You let him…? Okay how?"

"It was too easy, it was like they were all asking to play along in a drama surrounding me. They were all willing, so don't blame me for making their lives a little more interesting."

"Mark… you have torn apart relationships! You've really crossed the line!"

Mark laughed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair, a glint sparkled in his eyes. "They'll get over it!"

Jack sighed, his brother had caused a big mess and he honestly didn't want to be on the clean up committee. "Just… pack your bags and leave tomorrow."

"Sure thing bro, this town's getting dull anyway." Mark chuckled. Jack rolled his eyes and reached out to take Ann's hand, he knew when there was an angry mob after his pervert brother it was best just to leave them to tie him up and hang him from the ceiling all the while beating him with a baseball bat, like a piñata. They headed up to his room in the inn and sat on the bed, he turned to her, holding her small hands.

"Ann… we should talk," he said softly, in truth he'd wanted to talk to her about their living conditions for a long time. They could hardly live with her dad in the inn their entire lives.

"About what?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. "Okay you look serious… is this about your brother ruining people's lives? Cos honestly, they'll get over it…"

"No… well not really… Ann, we need to plan where we're going to live now." He told her, looking into her crystal, azure eyes.

"Why can't we just live here?" She asked, looking confused. Jack sighed, had she really believed they would live in the inn forever?

"We're married now," he said lamely. "Look, we need a place of our own, we can't burden your dad forever."

"He doesn't mind…"

"I've already talked to him, he said he'd miss us, but he understands…"

"You talked to my dad before me?!" Ann interrupted lamely and Jack looked uncomfortable. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand and took a deep breath.

"Sweetie, when we got married I swore I'd provide for your future, our future together. I… I want to move back to my farm in Forget-Me-Not valley, it was my dad's last wish that the farm should become a successful family farm." He explained, all the while not taking his brown eyes off his wife's beautiful face. She bit her lip, her mind running over the possibilities, truly she knew he was right, but she found it difficult to let go of the past that she had clung to for so long.

"Can I think about it?" She asked softly and he nodded. He leant over and kissed her brow, running his hand over her back quickly.

"Take your time," he then stood up and left to make sure his brother was packing.

* * *

Lumina skimmed through the pages of the book, trying her very hardest to focus on something that wasn't whatever Kyra and Angel were doing. Images of them kissing, perhaps even going further appeared in her minds eye, making her feel sick to her stomach.

"I can't do this," she whispered, standing up and throwing the book down on the bed. She glanced in the mirror, taking in her appearance, she looked nowhere near as glammed up as Kyra, but it would have to do. She slipped on a jacket and hurried through the door, what she was about to do could potential ruin hers and Kyra's friendship, but she couldn't care about that now.

As she was running down the hall she knocked into someone smelling heavily perfumed, she looked up to see Kyra, makeup trailing down her face.

"Kyra… what happened?" Lumina asked, stopping to wrap an arm around her friend. Kyra sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

"Angel told me this couldn't happen between us! He likes another girl, Lu! That bitch…" Kyra hissed and Lumina felt her ears burning slightly. Lumina hugged her tightly and shook her head.

"He's an idiot not to love you," Lumina told her honestly and Kyra looked up with big, green eyes.

"Thanks…" she whispered with a weak smile and Lumina nodded.

"Look, there's something I have to do, are you okay to go back to the room?" Lumina asked and Kyra nodded. "Great, I'll be up in a bit, you get a good night's sleep."

She watched as Kyra took heavy steps up to their dorm room before turning her golden eyes ahead. She continued running, her feet taking her without even having to think, straight up to Angel's room. When she arrived she knocked on the door and he answered it immediately with a big smile.

"It's about time," he told her glancing at his watch and she frowned.

"How did you know…?"

"Look Lumina, I may not know everything, but what I do know is that if something is meant to be it will happen. I think we're meant to be, so what is there to stop us?"

Lumina gazed up into his breathtakingly blue eyes and he reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He then leant forward and time seemed to slow down, there was just the two of them. He then kissed her gently, placing his hand under her chin to tilt her face up to his. He left her breathless again and she opened her golden eyes, meeting his again and smiling.

"You are my future…" he whispered.

Later she could not remember if he had whispered the final words or if she had just heard them in her mind, sweeter than any sound she had ever heard before. But she knew everything she had felt: safe, wanted and perfect, exactly where she should be in the scheme of things. Everything had just felt so right as she let her past drop away to make way for the future, feeling almost no nostalgia.

* * *

A couple of days later they were in the hall again listening to the speaker on the future. His bald head shone like a beacon of hope for the future as his wide eyes examined the students.

"I hope you've spent your week productively, grasping the future." He announced. Lumina smiled and looked down at her hand which was currently clasped in Angel's, yes, they had done a pretty good job of grasping the future, she was grasping hers right now.

"Sometimes, I'm afraid, Ladies and Gentlemen, we must let go of the past to make way for the future. We hold on to the lessons, but we must let go of the feelings or they will consume us and hold us back. I want you all to take a deep breath and let go of past pain…" He instructed. They all took a deep breath and Lumina found her mind trailing off to a place where nothing else mattered.

"Now everybody… heal."


	38. The White Picket Fence

As you can probably tell, submitting as many chapters as possible in a short time is my last ditch attempt to finish this fanfiction and fulfill the promise that I would, so here it goes...

38. The White Picket Fence

The pale autumn sun rose above the white building, casting a cool shadow over the courtyard and sending radiant beams of light over the slate roof. Birds chirruped merrily, gathering food in the morning sun, enjoying nature's bounty before the winter would take it away. Lumina's soft cheek found a comfortable position leaning against Angel's broad shoulder, gazing at the birds as they went about their business. She closed her eyes for a minute, simply enjoying the warmth that Angel provided before letting herself feel guilty again. Kyra hadn't spoken to her since she had found out about Angel picking her, a difficult feat considering they shared a room.

"Keep your eyes closed a moment," Angel said softly as he spotted Kyra walking past, he tried to spare Lumina the pain of seeing her ex-friend every time she walked past.

"Mmm, why?" Lumina asked gently, while obeying his command and keeping her lids shut.

"Avoid the scum," Kyra ordered a little blonde girl that seemed to have taken to following her about. Lumina heard Kyra's voice and opened her eyes wide, her bottom lip was trembling. She stood quickly and followed the brunette girl, trying to catch up.

"Kyra… I want to apologise…" Lumina mumbled, watching with a twinge of pain as Kyra turned her head away. "Kyra… I'm sorry…"

"Yeah? You betray me and you're _sorry_?" Kyra scoffed, she then shook her head and turned to walk away. She stopped again and turned to face Lumina. "There's just one thing I want to ask: if you liked him why did you convince me I should go for it? Why did you act like you were trying to set us up while pretending you were still in love with your ex?"

Lumina looked guiltily down at her feet, she then took a deep breath and looked Kyra in the eyes with an apologetic expression. "Because I wanted all of those things, I _wanted_ you to have him, I _wanted _to stay loyal to Rock forever… but… but… I just felt…" She tried to explain, but her tongue seemed unable to form the words. She knew that something inside her told her that Angel could be the one, something inside her told her he was worth throwing away everything, and deep down she knew that she already loved him.

Kyra looked at her, her green eyes were wide with understanding after so few words. Although some might claim that she hadn't a single unselfish bone in her body, she could see something in Lumina's eyes right then that made her empathetic. The purity of those golden orbs spoke to her, like the perfect pair of shoes might in the mall, and strangely enough, she found she could forgive her.

"You felt the same way I did," Kyra stated, she then closed her eyes and turned away. "I can't be friends with you again yet, because I'm still super mad… but I can forgive you. Give me time." She then walked off with all the grace of a panther.

Lumina swallowed and felt Angel's arms wrap around her, she then turned around with a smile forming on her bubblegum pink lips. She looked up into his eyes and all the painful feelings went away, somehow she found home in his eyes.

* * *

Ann twisted her orange hair into a long plait, artfully turning the strands of hair like the fibres on a length of rope. She then took a ribbon and wrapped it around the end of her plait, she studied it in the mirror critically and nodded: perfect as usual. With every activity of preparing herself for the morning completed she turned her attention to worrying about her husband. She didn't want to move away, she had made that clear and he understood that. Yet more and more she was beginning to realise that he… that _they _needed to leave. If she was perfectly honest with herself, things hadn't been the same since Mark had ruined things between the townspeople.

She sighed and checked her appearance once more in the mirror, her two sapphire blue eyes twinkling back at her. "Time to face the music," she told herself grimly.

When she arrived downstairs she found Jack reading through a brochure from Gotz that described household furniture he could make.

"Have you already decided that we're leaving?" She demanded angrily.

Jack kept his eyes on the brochure and turned the page casually. "No sweetness, just reading about furniture. Incidentally, have _you _made your decision?"

He then looked up at her and she scowled. "I don't see why I have to make it up so soon… isn't this something I should think about for a long, long time?" She asked and he nodded thoughtfully.

"Of course, but the longer we leave it the less you'll want to leave. It might take you even longer to realise that this is exactly what we need…"

"What _you _need…" she interjected, her hands on her hips. He looked at her seriously, his eyes boring into her in a way she could hardly stand.

"No Ann," he said dryly, "_I'm_ thinking about both of us."

Ann frowned, the way he said it implied that he was the only one thinking about both their welfare. "Hey, I'm thinking about both of us too!" She protested.

"Really? What exactly do you think is here for me?"

"A roof over your head,"

"I could have that at the farm…"

"You wouldn't have to work…"

"I want to work,"

"Fine!" She shouted, folding her arms. "Then what would there be for _me _on the farm?"

"A place to grow up with the kids safe, a nice community, a place for us to grow old together, somewhere where we can both work and feel we've really achieved something." He said calmly and she wrinkled her nose.

"That sounds so boring, besides, those things aren't for me!" She complained and Jack looked at her intensely again.

"No Ann… those things are for _us_. Besides, it'd be less boring in the valley than here!" He argued and she frowned again. "We're married now, which means that everything I think about is for us, not for me. I think we could be really happy and have a wonderful life in the valley."

Ann thought for a moment, biting her lips, she then looked at his face and knew he was right. "Okay…" She breathed.

"Okay what?" Jack asked in confusion.

"We'll move to the valley and we'll be farmers." She said with a slight smile, he grinned and pulled her into his arms for a hug.

"Thank you Ann. I love you," he smiled and she laughed.

"Yeah, yeah… but we'd better have a pony on the farm."

"Done and done." Jack promised and she grinned proudly. So maybe she didn't want to leave her past behind her, but with Jack by her side she knew she could do pretty much anything… except listen to one of Manna's monologues.

* * *

When Angel held her so very tightly Lumina felt as if the world was drifting away and instead she was floating up to the heavens with the man that belonged there. She could close her eyes and feel her breath drift away, she was far away from anything but him.

"You awake?" Angel asked nuzzling her gently and she giggled at the tickling sensation and the feeling of warmth in her belly. She opened her big eyes and reached to run her hand down the rough texture of his cheek and to the soft skin of his neck. She smiled and shut her eyes again, resting her head against his chest and feeling the rhythmic pounding of his heart against her ear.

"You're amazing," she breathed, momentarily unaware that the words were tumbling from her mouth as easily as air left. She didn't even notice when she laughed, she was so caught up with admiring him, and running her hand over his skin as though to check he was really there.

"Worried I'm going to go somewhere?" He asked with a smile and she looked at him, she flushed pink and nodded slowly. "You know that's the last thing I want."

"What _do _you want?" She asked, in a way she was asking _"why me?"_ She was still unsure as to why he had chosen her over all the other beautiful girls, what made her special? What did he want out of their relationship?

"I want you… you don't see why, do you?" He asked, his eyebrows knitting together in wonderment. It was a wonder to him how she could not see the perfection in herself. He took her hand in his and lifted it up to his mouth, he then kissed the sensitive palm.

"You're beautiful," he whispered before kissing one of her fingers. "You're intelligent." He kissed the second finger. "You're courageous." He kissed the next finger. "You're caring." He kissed the next finger along from that. "And you're the most amazing person I have ever met." He whispered, finally kissing the thumb.

She smiled, watching his beautiful eyes concentrate on her hand. He held her hand, palm facing upwards, against his own corresponding hand, his palm too facing up. He then traced a finger over the love line of her hand, pointing it out, he then traced the same line over his hand. The two lines matched almost completely and Lumina gasped.

"You see, we're destiny." He told her and she looked up at him with dreamy eyes.

"Do you… think we're soul mates?" She asked, hanging on his every word like a child and he laughed at her questions, not in a condescending way, but a jovial one.

"If you believe in that, then yes, I think we're meant to be. I'd love nothing more than to spend my future with you." He told her and she could see in the deep blue of his eyes that this was the truth. She smiled tenderly, a feeling of perfect peace and belonging washing over her like the lazy waves of a warm ocean.

"What do you see in our future?" She whispered softly into his ear, feeling so caught up in the moment that all shyness was gone. She wanted to know him, inside, outside and all over. It was strange how short a time they had been together, it was somewhat of a whirlwind romance, like Romeo and Juliet, only without the gory deaths. Their love was short but it was strong and already it took Lumina's breath away.

"I see the pretty cottage in the suburbs, the pretty garden, the 2 children running around in the garden and of course, the white picket fence." He murmured delightfully and she felt the words seep in, warming her soul. The perfect white picket fence that was the lining all dreams were made of… yes, she'd like that.

"Sounds perfect…" she whispered, and it was. The perfect life with the perfect husband, it seemed she was being compensated for all the pain she had gone through. From now on everything would be perfect.

* * *

The morning air hit Celia's lungs as if someone had kicked her and forced her to run outside and promptly discard the contents of her stomach on the ground. Marlin rushed out after her and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her stomach gently.

"Morning sickness…" He stated and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's what it feels like," she snapped moodily and he took a step back looking shocked. Then he nodded understandingly.

"Ah, hormones…"

"Well thanks for that Einstein!" She scowled and he shook his head, his beloved wife sounded just like Nami with the hormones. This lead him to wonder, was Nami like always pregnant?

"God I'm so sorry I snapped at you Marlin, it's just these hormones… they…" she began before breaking down into tears. "And I don't know what I'd do without you!" She finished after a lot of incoherent mumbling.

"It's okay sweetie… how about we go and order a cradle from Van eh? Then we'll see about fixing up a nursery for the baby…" He told her and Celia nodded tearfully. Although her hormones were currently running wild, everything seemed to be going well and Celia couldn't help but wonder whether her fairytale family life was just around the corner.


	39. Letters

39. Letters

For Ann the slow process of packing up her life began so that she could transfer it, all for the love of a good man. So she routed through her things, discarding the trash and keeping the junk with sentimental value. She reached into an old oak box and pulled out an old yellowing letter, with black handwriting scrawled over the page. Her blue eyes scanned to the bottom to see who it was from and she found the name at the bottom, her mother's _Elizabeth Green_. She choked immediately, her eyes scanning over the name again to check it was real, she then read from the beginning, feeling the warm tears trickling down her cheeks.

_Dearest Ann,_

_Hi sweetie, I don't think you'll read this until I am gone and you have learnt how to read. I hid it in this box, the one you refused to throw out but never put anything in, I thought you would find this one day. There's so much I want to say, but it's difficult to tell you everything you'll need to know in a letter, but I'll do my best. Firstly, I wrote this letter when I realised I was dying, death can be pretty incurable and it's shocking when it sneaks up on you, but Dear, let me not tell you about death. Let me tell you about the life you're going to lead, let me tell you that you'll fall in love, that you'll grow up well, that you too will have children of your own and hopefully you'll be there for them._

_I know your father raised you well, that's why I didn't feel so awful about leaving you both, I know you can handle it, I'm not afraid of the end. So when you find this, tell your father I still love him – I still love you too, I'm watching you both. As for you, follow your heart and know it'll all work out in the end and that I'm not in pain, I'm happy and I want you to be happy too. I have so much I want to teach you, but I think you'll have to learn it all on your own, you're a smart girl, you can do it._

_A Mother's Love Forever,_

_Elizabeth Green_

Ann felt the silent tears continue to trickle down her face, as she sniffed and wiped them from her eyes. She folded the letter and slipped it back into the box, leaving it where it was in her cupboard, she had a feeling her father would find it one day and then he could read it. The message from the grave hit her harder than anything else could have, she was really leaving her past now. There were a lot of sweet memories in that place, a lot of sad ones too. She cast her eyes over the room, remembering the times she had spent with people there, the times she'd cried there, the times she'd laughed and smiled. She sat down on the bed and ran her hand over the white linen and breathed in deeply, she would miss everything about this place.

* * *

Rock lay on his bed staring up at the old ceiling, now covered in cobwebs that Lumina's helping hand would have brushed away. He shut his eyes tightly, the image of her sweet face stamped upon his mind, a constant painful reminder. He didn't let the tears fall again, he was way past that now, the empty space within him couldn't be filled with tears. He shifted his position and headed down the stairs, finding Celia standing there waiting.

"Celia, you looking for someone?" He asked and she smiled broadly.

"Yes, I've been looking for you as a matter of fact, I have some things to discuss with you," she told him, walking up to him and taking his arm to lead him upstairs.

When they sat in Rock's rather messy bedroom which Celia wrinkled her nose slightly at, she beamed at him and placed a hand on her stomach.

"Rock, I'm pregnant…" She told him with a smile and he looked shocked and flushed for a moment.

"Is it mine?" He asked in panic and confusion and Celia laughed out loud.

"How would that be possible, Rock?!" She giggled and he heaved a sigh of relief and looked sheepish.

"Sorry, it's just the way my life is going," he said in a tone of depression and Celia frowned. "Not that I'm not really happy for you Celia, you and Marlin must be so happy!"

Celia looked down at the coverlet of the bed and traced a pattern over it with her finger. Rock watched her for a moment and then swallowed, a moment of rare intuition hit him with realisation.

"It's not his, is it?" He asked and she looked up, her brown eyes so wide, like a deer caught in the headlights.

She licked her lips for a moment, avoiding his piercing brown eyes. She hadn't told anyone, in fact, there were so few people she could open up to now. Rock was the only person she felt she could reveal this to at that moment.

She looked up at him, her eyes round and serious. "No, it's not." She told him darkly. She then sighed and guilt filled her aura. "It's Gustafa's, we had a short affair a while back. It didn't mean anything, it was just comfort, but it was enough to potentially ruin my life. But Marlin thinks it's his."

Rock didn't say anything for a while, the information still new to him, he mulled it over, passing it through his brain forwards and backwards like using water to wash out a bowl, swilling around the news. He looked at her carefully, but there was no judgement in his eyes, which filled Celia with comfort.

"So you'll raise it like it's yours and Marlin's," he stated and she nodded. He swallowed for a moment, deciding if this seemed fair. He usually believed that honesty is the best policy, but he knew life would be better for the baby if Marlin never knew. So instead of justifying the idea or shooting it down he merely looked at Celia and told her what she wanted to hear, "your secret's safe with me."

She smiled and a moment of mutual trust passed between them. Then Celia laughed it off, a false carefree smile appearing on her smooth features. "What about you then? Have you heard from Lumina?"

The question left him almost winded with pain, Lumina seemed like part of a different life to him now, but the love still burnt like the fires within volcanoes. "No, I haven't."

"Well then you should write to her… tell you what, write her a letter and I'll read it over for you. What's the harm right? You want to know how she is."

"I do… but…" Rock began, he had a billion excuses in his head as to why he shouldn't contact her and just a few reasons why he should, but those reasons were the strongest of all, the main one being that he loved her. He nodded and shuffled over to a desk in his room to pull out an old, chewed pen and a pad of lined paper.

"Start writing then," Celia encouraged with a smile before waving and walking away, leaving Rock with the hardest letter he'd ever had to write.

The most difficult part was beginning, it was one of those times when his mind went blank and even the simplest of words seemed to evade him. How did one begin a letter of such magnitude? His hand hovered over the paper, gripping the pen tightly, he then placed it to the page and left a dot of shining black ink.

"_Dear Lumina" _he scrawled onto the page. He paused, reading the two words over, he then scribbled it out angrily and scrunched up the paper. With a new sheet he then tried a different combination of words. _"Hey Lu." _Too informal. Was this an informal letter? He then shook his head at his pernicketyness and decided on "Dearest Lumina" it was formal but definitely placed feelings onto the page. With the hardest part over he set down to writing.

"_Dearest Lumina,_

_I honestly don't know how to begin this letter, or end it for that matter… the middle's a little shaky too. But I suppose I really just want to ask you what's happening in your life? Do you still think of me? I think about you all the time… Do you still love me? No… of course you don't, you must have a billion wonderful men flocking outside your bedroom everyday, can I compare to that? No. But I still want to know about everything, even if it breaks my heart, I want to tell you everything that's happening here… Jack's married… Celia's pregnant… Gustafa is… never mind. I can't write down everything in a letter, I need to see you, can I see you? Or would you rather slip out of my reach, maybe you don't want to come back? In any case, please, one meeting?_

_My love forever, _

_Rock"_

He read the letter over, he had never sounded quite so needy or pathetic in his life, but the short letter conveyed what it needed to, that he needed to see her, even if it was just one last time.

* * *

Some time had passed now since Lumina and Angel had first discussed "the future", and now it seemed not so much as a great leap forward but a part of their everyday lives. The future was a part of them, and already they were as an old married couple. They would sit around in Angel's apartment in content silence, reading their own books and in between chapters stopping to engage in delightful conversation. Some might say it was a shame the spark had gone from their relationship so quickly, but in their hearts was a hearth in which the fire burnt brightly from that small spark. Yet there was a small part of Lumina that regretted the transition to comfortable warmth from hot passion so quickly, and that part felt a small emptiness at the fact that they had not yet "consummated" their relationship.

She loved Angel. She knew that already, and she knew that in itself was very special. Although they hadn't yet uttered the words, she knew he felt it too, especially as they had planned their future together before saying the actual words. Instead of being placed down as a statement of feelings, like a novelty souvenir, their love was a mutual knowledge that did not need to be assured through words. Still, Lumina still thought it would be nice to hear once in a while… or at least once.

When they were sitting in his apartment and he had his nose buried in a Latin book, currently reading the letter written by Pliny the younger and translated into English on every other page, Lumina looked up and watched Angel, pondering over the reasons for the silence of their love.

"Angel," she said eventually, putting down her copy of "Tess of the D'Urbevilles" and looking up at him.

"Yes dear?" He asked, sounding like a typical husband and she smiled slightly at the term of endearment.

"Why are we like this?" She asked and he looked at her questioningly. She gestured to their sitting and reading in answer. "Why are we already like an old couple, why haven't we said I love you, why is the heat gone?"

Angel was silent for a moment as he put down his book too, mulling over the answer. "We're like an old couple, because we're totally comfortable with each other. We haven't said I love you because it's common knowledge between us, and the heat isn't gone, it's just at a comfortable temperature. But you knew all this."

"I love you," she said determinedly and he smiled.

"I love you too." He replied and she smiled back. She then walked over to him and planted a kiss on his lips, somehow she felt she needed to ignite a spark again. She was about to continue the kiss when he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her and she looked at him questioningly.

"One thing," he said and he scanned through the book quickly. "This line from the letter reminds me of you."

"What's the letter?" She asked curiously and he pulled her onto his lap to show her.

"It was a letter written to Tacitus by Pliny the Younger about the death of his uncle, the elder Pliny, who is made out to be very brave. But this line gives me hope, so I thought you might like it." He explained.

"What is it?"

"_Fortes fortuna adiuvat." _He said in perfect latin.

"Meaning?"

"Fortune favours the brave,"

She was silent for a few seconds, then she looked up at him with sparkling eyes and smiled. "You think I'm brave?"

"The bravest person I know…"

"Thanks."

"Lu?" He said, placing his hand on hers and looking into her eyes. "Don't throw more logs onto the fire, just wait for a while, it's just… not the right time."

She knew exactly what he was talking about, but she still looked at him questioningly, what did he mean?

* * *

Lumina awoke to sunlight filtering through the window of her room and bathing her face with radiance. She opened her eyes slowly and looked over to Kyra's bed with a sigh, it was still empty and unruffled, her roommate had slept at someone else's that night. She slipped out of bed, her toes touching the carpeted floor as she glanced around the room, looking for clothes. She dressed and went to the door, to go out and seek breakfast, it was a Saturday and so there would be no classes. She was about to head out when she spotted some mail on the table by the door, Kyra must have bought it yesterday; how had she not noticed?

She picked up a yellowing envelope addressed to her and opened it messily, she had never quite been able to open letters without tearing them. She pulled out the thin paper and recognition of the writing sparked within her… Rock. She bit her lip, she hadn't thought that name in so long he had become almost as a myth to her, maybe he existed, maybe he didn't.

She read it over, each word seemed to sap a little of her strength and soon she found herself breathless and collapsed on her bed. When she had finished the letter and was close to breaking down into tears, Kyra chose that moment to enter, her hair ruffled and her makeup left over from the previous night.

"What's up babe?" She asked, with surprising concern, Lumina looked up at her with moist eyes and waved the letter helplessly. Kyra walked over cautiously and took a seat next to her on the bed, taking the letter from her hand and reading it over.

"This is the ex," she stated and Lumina nodded helplessly. "You're torn?" Lumina nodded again.

Kyra read the note over and then handed it back to Lumina, her green, makeup covered eyes were sympathetic. "Are you going to see him?"

Lumina sucked in a lungful of air and put on a brave face. "Of course, if there are things he needs to say… then I should let him say them. I owe him that much."

"You don't _owe _him anything, he broke up with you. He let you go Lu. What about Angel?"

"He'll understand that this is something I have to do." Lumina said softly, she dug through her files of work and found a piece of paper, she then began a short reply suggesting that they meet soon and that she knew of an island in between the university and the valley. She wrote that she would pay for his flight and that the ticket would be sent to his address.

"Aren't you going to ask Angel first?" Kyra asked and Lumina shook her head.

"It doesn't matter, I'll post the letter and then ask him. In fact I'll do that now, thanks Kyra." She said softly. Kyra nodded, signalling that it was no problem and Lumina smiled, maybe their friendship had been renewed after all.

* * *

Rock held the crisp white letter in his hand, after having read it through a couple of times. His heart was still beating at a fast pace, he was going to see her again, and he could tell her that ending the relationship was a mistake. After all, she hadn't mentioned anything about any other guy, so he supposed that she still loved him. He smiled, folding the letter and placing it in a drawer, now he had to see about the tickets to the island.


	40. Fools Rush In

40. Fools Rush In

Ann ran her long fingers against the smooth, russet coloured fur of the horse Jack had bought for them. She had to admit, the horse which they had named Rhiannon was beautiful, with her jet eyes and sunset fur, with a flowing white mane. They had loaded their luggage onto a cart which their small horse would pull to the valley. Ann had already said her goodbyes, well more or less, but some things are impossible to say goodbye to, there's too much history.

Her friends grouped around her: Karen, Popuri, Mary and Elli, they all hugged her tightly as though trying to imprint themselves into her. Ann looked at their young faces, they were each more or less the same age as her, yet there seemed something more innocent about their faces now. It was as though they were kids again, and she could see them all as they were then, young and awkward but very close.

"I'm not even sure how I'm gonna manage a day without you guys," Ann told them honestly, looking into each pair of tear-filled eyes.

"We're the ones who are going to be lost," Mary told her with a shy smile.

"Gorsh Ann, d'you have to go?" Popuri asked innocently, her big brown eyes like those of a naive young puppy's.

"I'm afraid so, I'll miss you guys something awful." She said softly, wrapping her arms around Popuri.

"If you ever need a nurse you know who to call," Elli told her, handing her the first aid kit which she had previously rejected.

"Right, of course, there's no one else I would ask." Ann swore, and that was no lie, Elli was the only nurse she knew.

"And if you ever need a drinking buddy," Karen added and Ann grinned.

"Well, goodbye guys." She said softly she then turned to hug her father. "I can't believe I'm not gonna be in the same house as you anymore, will you manage without me?"

"Somehow I think I'll live," Doug replied with a chuckle and Ann pouted. "But I'm gonna miss my li'l Pumpkin cheeks."

"Dad!" Ann exclaimed and he laughed.

"See ya sweetheart, take care and remember to feed that husband of yours. I want to see him with a few extra pounds when he gets back," Doug said cheerily. He was good at keeping up the cheery façade, but in truth he was going to miss his daughter awfully. She had been his whole world since the day she was born, and that was hard to let go of.

Finally Jack arrived from sorting out things at the valley, ready to take his bride to their new home. Doug clapped him hard on the back and retrieved the promise that he daughter would be well taken care of, and well-disciplined too. Jack grinned, saying farewell to the kind people of Mineral town, to go back to his own fathers farm and make the family dreams come true.

They tied the small wooden cart filled with their possessions to Rhiannon and Jack sat on her strong back. Ann sat behind him, wrapping her slender arms around him as he nudged the horse into slow movement. The cart lurched forward and Rhiannon started to move it, her golden chest heaving with the effort and her eyes alight with the mood of adventure. The couple waved goodbye to their loved ones as they rode away on the sunset-coloured horse.

* * *

On the island of Illyria Lumina sat waiting in a small diner, perched comfortably on the red leather seats and leaning over a plastic table. She sipped her mug of strong coffee, her small hands clasped tightly around it nervously. She hadn't seen this man in such a long time, she wondered if he had changed at all, had she changed at all in appearance? She drummed her fingernails against the table quickly, making the sound of galloping horses on dry ground.

She had booked the tickets a few weeks before and had told Angel where she was going and why the day before she had left. It had taken her a lot of time to pluck up the courage, and she was surprised by his reaction. He was so supportive, which she guessed she should have realised he would be, after all Angel couldn't be jealous or possessive, he made everything so easy for her. Yet she still felt guilty, she felt so childish meeting her ex-boyfriend and why? To tell him it truly was over, which would be painful. But Rock had broken up with her, she knew he had only good intentions, but she also knew she would never have done anything to jeopardise their relationship had they still had one.

Finally a recognisable man entered, his brown eyes shining with the same nervousness she felt in the pit of her stomach and she waited for the awkward greeting. He spotted her, his face lighting up with an awkward smile and he walked over to her and sat down on one of the bright red seats opposite her. She waited for him to speak, but he didn't, instead he summoned over the waitress and ordered coffee first, which she found surprising.

"I'll pay for that if you like," Lumina said, breaking the silence with possibly the worst line in history. That was no way to greet an ex-boyfriend, to offer to pay for his cheap cup of coffee as though you're better than him, Lumina slapped herself mentally.

"It's okay, I've got it," he told her with a smile, he didn't seemed offended at all which made her smile genuinely, she had forgotten how simple folk at the valley were. Well that wasn't exactly a kind thought, Rock had never been exactly simple, well he seemed it, he seemed one-dimensional when in fact he had all the layers of an onion.

"I've missed you," he said softly taking his coffee from the busty waitress and examining Lumina's face studiously.

"I've missed you too, I suppose we have a lot to catch up on…" She said softly, she knew she had to tell him about Angel, but she wasn't ready yet, she just wanted to enjoy his company for a bit first. "So how's life in the Valley?"

Rock grinned, he then leaned forward and began to explain everything, how Celia had had an affair with Gustafa, how she was now pregnant with his baby and Marlin thought it was his and how Nami was completely oblivious. He explained about how his family was getting on, how Jack had married Ann and was now finally moving back to the valley.

"I've missed a lot," Lumina said finally with a small smile and Rock nodded.

"Yeah and we've missed you lots," he told her, his eyes meeting hers in a look that they hadn't shared in a long time, a look with held an intense connection between them and that seemed to pass thoughts along. She looked away quickly and coughed, she then looked back at him with a regretful smile.

"We need to talk about us now don't we?" He said slowly, the time they had both anticipated with nervousness had come, the point of their meeting that was inevitable.

"There is no us Rock," she told him softly and he cocked his head. "I've met someone, and I couldn't tell you in a letter."

Rock was silently numb for a moment, staring at the heavily tacky decorations of the diner, his heart had sunk in his stomach and now was making its way slowly up to his mouth. Lumina watched him for a moment, until Rock seemed to come back from staring into space.

"His name is Angel," she offered and Rock looked at her sadly. His everything had crashed into non-existence in the last few minutes and now he was trying to mentally sweep up the shards of his heart. He knew it was all his fault, after all he had broken up with her, not the other way around. He had made his thorny bed, now he had to lie in it.

"Do you love him?" He asked directly and she nodded silently, feeling tears pour down her face. She had known this meeting wouldn't be easy, but she had never anticipated that it would be this hard. It was his turn to nod silently, as any other question seemed pointless now.

"Do you love me at all?" He asked and she began to cry harder, how could she explain her feelings to him.

"From the moment I fell in love with you I knew I could never stop," she whispered truthfully, her golden eyes shining with pearly tears.

"But you love him more… you choose him," Rock said, he wanted to ask it as a question, but he knew it was a statement.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered and he nodded, swallowing hard. Hearing these words from her was the most difficult thing he had ever had to do, and it was taking everything he had in him not to cry too, or not to punch the cream diner walls. What else was there left to say? It was not so much what she did say that hurt Rock at that moment, it was what she didn't say that spoke volumes.

"I'll always love you." He told her and he moved to the chair next to her to hug her. This hug was so like the hug they had shared when they left, and yet so different. Both hugs were a goodbye, but this hug was goodbye to their love and goodbye to their past, the last hug had held the promise of "we may love again".

Even from a strangers view the two people's hug could not be seen as anything other than an ending, both clinging on as long as they could to their past, but they both knew that soon they would have to let go. But neither could say goodbye to each other, it was too difficult after they had been through so much together, and maybe it wasn't quite goodbye yet, maybe they would meet again some day. So when the diner was finally closed, being open 23-hours of the day, they parted. They hugged one last time outside the door, holding hands tightly, before letting go and looking into each others eyes one last time. Then they went their separate ways, her back to university and him back to the place both would always know as home.

* * *

"How was it?" Angel was there to question as soon as Lumina entered her dorm room, exhausted both emotionally and physically. She wasn't really in the mood to be interrogated and she looked at him with tired eyes. He nodded slowly, kissing her on the cheek before helping her remove her shoes. He was silent the entire time, waiting for her to speak first, or not if she wished. She climbed into bed fully clothed, resting her head on the soft pillow and letting her guard down finally, letting silent tears fall from her eyes. If Angel saw these tears he didn't say anything, but watched as she fell into a dreamless sleep, he then kissed her wet cheek and headed off to his own room, his mind racing with questions which Lumina had been too tired to answer.

* * *

Ann's first impression of the farm house was that it was rather a fixer-upper, it was quite small, even though Jack had recently had a kitchen built for when they moved in, and was decorated with a rug that Doug had given them from the inn. The bed had a blue cloth spread over it, and was stood next to an old gramophone, that would play elevator-type music whenever one wanted to feel relaxed. They already had a fat, old black and white cow in the barn, which apparently Takakura had kept until his death and it had been sent to be taken care of by Barley and so was returned to them. The bovine's name was Bella, and even after the absence of her master she still produced delicious, snow-white milk.

It took Jack no time at all to settle back in, but Ann felt it taking a little longer for her. The people were kind to her, and the place was beautiful but she still missed her friends and the girls her own age. Celia was lovely and very welcoming, but she was too pregnant to spend much time with the sunset-haired newcomer, and Nami seemed just a little icy. Still, at least she was keeping busy by helping Jack in the farm on occasion and cooking dinner for them and at last she felt like she could really call the place home.

One evening after Jack was done working in the field he reclined on one of the wooden kitchen chairs and looked seriously at Ann.

"I haven't told you everything that happened in this place," he informed her and she looked at him questioningly. He gestured for her to sit down and she did, placing her small hands on the old oak table, where her diamond wedding ring could be seen glinting in the dim lights. He took a deep breath and began from what he considered the beginning, from when he and Lumina had first kissed in the silky black evening years ago.

* * *

The morning came and the first blades of sunlight filtered through the window of the dorm room, Lumina's red eyes, tired from crying focused on the door. She needed to go and see Angel, her lack of explanation the previous night must have left him filled with needless anxiety. She rolled over in bed and shut her eyes for a moment, she had just let go of the biggest link to her past, was she really ready to give her entire future to Angel? Sure, they had talked about it, and then she had been lost in the amazement of what their lives could be, but now it seemed so real and she felt so vulnerable. Quickly she swung herself out of bed and headed to the shower.

The beads of hot water trickled down her skin, washing the tear stains from her cheeks and washing away the dirt from her body and the feelings of regret from her mind. The cleansing water revived her, but she still felt incomplete and knew that she had to tell Angel everything about the run in with her blast from the past.

There was a knock on the door and Lumina turned off the shower and slipped a towel around her, wondering if Kyra had forgotten her key again.

"Who is it?" Lumina asked before opening the door and having Angel pull her into his arms for a kiss. She grinned, and studied his beautifully carved face, truly Angel had a face carved by angels.

"Morning Sweetness," he whispered softly into her ear.

"You want me to tell you about the meeting with my ex, don't you?" She stated, and he grinned guiltily.

"Hey, I'm not perfect… I have to admit I'm rather worried and jealous, even though I trust you, I just… want to hear, y'know?" He asked, running a hand through his thick brown hair, his dazzling sapphire blue eyes sparkling with apprehension.

"You are perfect," she told him honestly. "And you have no reason to worry, but sit down and I'll tell you about it."

So he sat down and she explained how they had hugged for what they both knew was likely the last time, and even if they did hug again, things couldn't be the same as they had been, another hug would be under totally different circumstances.

After she had recited the evening to him, the beginnings of tears filling in her amber eyes, he stroked away the golden hair from her cheek and kissed it gently. He looked into her eyes, the connection so intense she could feel his eyes burning into hers, as though leaving a mark that could not be erased. "I love you," he whispered softly and she smiled, blinking away the tears.

He leant in and kissed her coral pink lips as they both savoured the ambrosia taste of heaven. He hugged her tightly, very aware that she was still dressed in just a towel, which she had suddenly become less aware of.

While he held her she felt the amazing feeling of peace, as though she had finally found her place and it was right in his arms. "You're the one," she told him, smiling with the awe she felt at this concept and he smiled.

"You're the only woman I'll ever love," he told her and his eyes spoke more than his lips, it was a contract that he wouldn't break. She was left breathless by this and closed her eyes, feeling his hands leave warm traces on her skin. The look he gave her told her that they were now both ready, now that she had left behind her past they could move on completely and take their relationship to the next level, leaving a mark on each other that would never be erased.

* * *

Ann shut her bright blue eyes tightly, the information that Jack had forced on her that evening was too heavy to take, she felt winded. "Why did you never tell me all this?" She demanded accusingly and he looked at her with an annoying blank expression.

"That was my past and you're my future, and I did tell you about Lumina… I just thought you weren't ready to hear about Muffy…" He said and Ann felt the tears coming. It all felt so unreal, the story just seemed unreal, she couldn't have married this man.

"I hate you," she spat. Of course she couldn't hate him, ever, sbut somehow she needed to lash out. She didn't know why it hurt her, maybe it was just because he had concealed his terrible past from her. He studied her for a moment, like a cornered rabbit waiting to see if the hunter really will use his gun. He sighed deeply, wondering what to say, but he decided he had said enough. Fuming, Ann stood up and left the room, hurrying away to somewhere… anywhere.

Finally she stood on the golden grains of sand of the beach, the endless waves of the deep blue ocean reflected in her azure eyes. She bit her lip, breathing in the salty air of the ocean and the scent of sea weed. Everything about her perfect, fairytale life seemed to have changed now, her husband was not entirely who she thought he was. Did this new information make him a different person? But the things he had told her had been true all along and made no difference to his current character, he had been the same as long as she had known him.

Yet somehow, nothing was the same, he was different to her. She sat down on the shore, tracing a line with her finger across the sand, she now had two options. She could go back, tell him she forgave him and let everything go back to how it was before, even though it couldn't be; or she could run. But although she had options, she did not really have a choice as she saw it, she had to go back and act as though nothing had changed. She stood to head back, realising with apprehension that things would always change, and she could never truly go back to where she was, but she would always have to roll with the punches.


	41. The Gateway Moment

41. The Gateway Moment

Lumina woke up to the feeling of pure heaven, lying next to the man she loved in a warm, cosy bed with bright white bed sheets and light filtering in through the nearby window. She looked over at Angel's beautiful face, his azure eyes watching her with the warmth and love of a thousand ages, the kind of love that was endless.

"Morning," she whispered and he smiled leaning over to kiss her gently on the lips.

"I love you, more than I've ever loved anything." He told her honestly and she was once again struck by how lucky she was.

"I love you too… will you love me till the day you die?" She asked with a contented smile and his face suddenly looked very serious, she couldn't help but wonder whether he feared death. She looked at him questioningly and then he shook off the dark fog that seemed to have decended into his bright blue eyes.

"I'll love you much, much longer than that." He promised and she smiled. She couldn't help but be certain that she would marry this man, and the sooner the better. She felt perfectly serene and complacent, enwrapped like a precious jewel within the arms of the one she loved, dreaming of their certain future together.

* * *

Celia stood with her hands placed on her swollen belly, gazing at the morning sun, everything seemed to have turned out so well, Marlin believed the baby was his, the baby that would be arriving into the world very soon. She spotted Gustafa walking towards her, and she looked towards the ground, slightly embarrassed and shy.

"Well hey Celia, how's the baby?" He asked, remarkably without any of the nervousness and embarrassment she was feeling.

"It's yours!" She blurted out without thinking and from the strain of the situation, she clapped her hand over her mouth and shook her head, trying to stop the tears from falling. Gustafa stared at her, his mouth opening and closing comically like a fish, _now _he felt tense.

"Mine?" He whispered, looking at her round stomach with awe. When he regained some composure he spoke again, looking at the stomach as though it was some sort of miracle child that would change the world. "Does Marlin know?"

"No… he thinks it's his, and you can't tell him. Maybe biologically it's yours, but truly, it never will be." She told him, unable to look at him. She couldn't bear to see the face of the father to be deprived of his child.

"But Celia…"

"No… he won't be yours, I'm not doing this to hurt you… this is best for the baby… the baby will never know." She told him, her words sounded so cold yet the pain inside her was swelling up like a fresh wound. She turned away, unable to take the lost look in his eyes, and walked towards the house, praying that he wouldn't follow her. And he didn't.

* * *

Somehow, after finding her attempts to allow herself to return to Jack useless, Ann found herself in Mineral town, speaking to all her old friends with a feeling of relief. She was sitting at the inn with them, making her appearance seem a friendly visit rather than an excuse to escape the stranger who had replaced her husband.

"So what'll you have to drink?" Karen asked, wearing a top that not only revealed her cleavage but highlighted them as something your eyes could not avoid. "The first round's on me."

"Erm," Ann began, drinking seemed unappealing and she had no idea why. "Just a water for me…"

"No way, you've gotta have a beer." Karen insisted, heading up to the bar and ordering herself, Ann, Popuri and Elli a beer each, Mary had excused herself from the gathering in order to catch up on some reading.

"Why does she even bother asking?" Ann said with a wry smile and the others grinned back. Karen returned with full glasses of golden beer, bubbling with smooth foam. Ann took hers and tried to take a sip but spat it back out, she tried again but found herself continuing to spit out the liquid.

"Don't tell me you're too good for Mineral town beer now…" Karen joked, watching in dismay as her friend kept failing to hold down the liquid.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Ann said, feeling really queasy. She felt as though she would be sick and promptly hurried to the bathroom. She returned looking rather green and Elli insisted they quickly took her to the doctors, just in case, after all, the Doctor would be awake for a while. Ann reluctantly agreed and was sat down on the bed and tested first a little by the doctor, then a lot.

"Would you mind if I took a urine sample?" He asked eventually and Ann turned pink, she had seldom had to have urine tests.

"Am I okay?" She asked worriedly and the Doctor smiled at her.

"I believe so, there's just a hunch I have…" He told her, handing her a clear jar and pointing her to the bathroom. While she was inside the Doctor whispered something to Elli which made her gasp and then smile. Ann returned with the sample and the Doctor told her he would need to take some tests, but that she should get a good nights rest, which she knew she wouldn't while feeling so anxious.

* * *

Celia sat exhausted on the sand of the beach, it had taken her a long time to reach that contemplative place and had reduced her to a pregnant lady with no energy. She breathed in deeply, recovering valuable oxygen and calming herself, this baby had been a lot of trouble so far, and she couldn't wait to meet the tiny person that she had been willing to manipulate and lie to make happy. She knew that as soon as she saw the baby, it would make everything worthwhile, but right now she felt horribly moody.

Marlin was inside, making the last adjustments to the babies crib, which would stay in the same room as they slept in at the top of the house. So Celia was pretty much alone at that moment, ready to make the long excursion on her swollen feet back to the house and to collapse on the bed and probably eat something, or a lot of somethings.

"You can't take away my child…" She heard the voice of Gustafa behind her, stern and hurt. She breathed in deeply, she was definitely not in the mood for negotiation.

"You should know better than to anger a heavily pregnant woman," she warned, she kept huffing and felt her cheeks turning very red, being pregnant was very uncomfortable.

"The baby's my flesh and blood, Celia, it deserves to know who its real father is." He protested, his eyes hidden by the purple glasses made the look on his face seem more desperate.

"The baby belongs to Marlin, I won't raise my child as an accident, it will always feel loved. I can't let it know what I did." She said regretfully, her motives were not purely selfish, but they were not entirely fair.

"Celia," Gustafa said in warning tones, were he a cat his claws would have been out and ready in warning. He took a step forward and Celia stood as quickly as possible, which for a pregnant woman took quite a while.

"Get away from me Gustafa…" She began, she wanted to run, but in her current state it would be quicker to roll away. Suddenly she felt cool water at her ankles and wondered if a wave had rolled up onto the shore, she then saw that there was a damp patch beneath her and Gustafa was looking rather shaken.

"My water just broke, go get Marlin!" She demanded, worried about nothing else now than getting to Dr. Hardy's clinic.

* * *

Celia was rather unflatteringly mounted on a wheelbarrow and wheeled over to Dr. Hardy's clinic, where she was sat in a bed until she was fully dilated. Although delivering babies was not something Hardy did often, nevertheless he was in control of the situation, and Marlin was almost surprised that Celia in her fits of pregnancy had not shouted at him much at all. The only thing she shouted at him was:

"THIS BABY BETTER BE WORTH IT!" Which Marlin really couldn't find hurtful in anyway, because he knew the baby would be worth it. Celia spent her time of painful and embarrassing labour shouting insults at Dr. Hardy, and was sure that by the end he would never want to see her again, thankfully Hardy understood not to take pregnant women seriously, even if her insults did seem somewhat direct.

"WHY IS MY BABY BEING DELIVERED BY ROBODOC!" She screamed, angry tears pouring from her eyes.

But finally, after 4 hours of high stress, painful labour, the fruit of her labour, the bundle of joy arrived.

"Congratulations," Hardy smiled. "It's a girl." Now seeing the tiny baby in Celia's arms, and the happy smile on her face, Hardy could completely forgive her for her words during pregnancy. She gazed at the babies face lovingly for a long while, until she was finally able to tear her eyes away and look at Hardy apologetically.

"I'm sorry for everything I said," she told him, looking rather embarrassed.

"No worries, it's all forgiven, what happens in pregnancy stays in pregnancy... in fact I hope you consider me as Doctor for your next child." He told her good naturedly, she grinned and assured him she would.

"Thank you so much, she's beautiful." She gushed, looking down into the baby blue eyes of her daughter.

"She has Marlin's eyes," Hardy said with a smile and Celia remained silent. Marlin returned from retrieving hot herbal teas which Ruby had kindly made for them and was struck when he saw Celia holding the baby. He smiled at the picture of perfection, a beautiful daughter and his beautiful wife, a happy family. He kissed Celia on the cheek, overwhelmed by the warmth radiating from her due to her happiness. It looked as though this was their happy ending.

* * *

It had seemed like such a shame when Angel and Lumina had finally managed to pull themselves out of bed and parted. Lumina was so reluctant to see him go that he promised he would meet her later at a restaurant. The idea seemed perfectly delicious to her, they never really went out to dinner, therefore this was most certainly a special occasion. She decided to take a shower and make sure she looked extra special for dinner.

When the darkness stretched across the sky like a content black cat and the moon shone like a bright, luminescent pearl, Lumina stood dressed in a long white dress with a flowing skirt. Angel met her dressed in a nice shirt and smart trousers, with an elated smile on his face which left her short of breath.

"You look beautiful," he told her, she twirled for him, the spotless alabaster dress fanning out beneath her like the waves of a white ocean. He took her hand and lead her into the restaurant, where they sat at a beautiful table and drank sweet, blood red wine.

* * *

Ann sat nervously on the bed in the clinic, it was lined with rough blue sheets that she associated with being ill. Anytime when she had been ill as a child she had found herself on these same sheets, feeling as apprehensive as this. The Doctor came in with a wide grin on his face, which Ann found to be rather strange, but most probably a good sign, that had to mean there was nothing wrong with her.

"I have great news, we just got the test results back and…"

"I'm not sick?" Ann interrupted, sounding hopeful.

"No you're not sick, you're…"

"Oh thanks Tim," Ann interjected with relief, swinging her legs off the table and finding she still felt a little nauseous, but there was nothing wrong with her, so it had to be nothing.

"Ann, sit down again." He told her and she looked at him with big, confused blue eyes. She took a seat, feeling uncomfortable again and looked into the Doctor's brown eyes. "Ann… you're pregnant."

She swallowed hard, feeling the sickness increase slightly, but also a slight feeling of happiness. "I'm going to have a baby?" She asked incredulously and the Doctor nodded. "I'm going to have a baby." She repeated, sounding the words in her head and discovering that she liked them.

"You should go back home and tell your husband the good news," he told her and she swallowed. Her husband who she now hardly trusted was the father of this innocent thing now growing inside her, and now she had to tell him. She nodded silently and decided to tell her father first, and maybe her friends, she wanted to enjoy her happiness before going back and sorting everything out.

Of course her father and friends were very happy for her, and they celebrated that night in the inn a little. Or rather they all sat around and the others drank while she sipped at tonics and water. But still, she was feeling drunk on the very atmosphere, everyone was so happy for her and she was happy too, she hadn't thought much about having children yet, but she knew she would love her child more than anything.

* * *

Celia rested her head against the soft pillow, trying to get some sleep, she desperately missed holding her baby, but it was sleeping in a small fold-out cot set up nearby. Her little daughter was sleeping soundly, and Celia could still picture it with its soft pink skin and tiny little fingers.

She heard the door creak open and saw Marlin walk back in and take a seat next to her on the bed, kissing her tousled hair. She yawned and reached out to take his hand, glancing over at the cot. Suddenly the door creaked open again and Gustafa entered, followed by a nervous looking Nami.

"Sorry, Gustafa really wanted to see the baby…" Nami said apologetically, sounding rather put out. Celia frowned, a deep crease appearing in her forehead as she thought about how to handle the situation.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Gustafa asked, so far managing to restrain himself.

"It's a girl," Marlin said, sounding defensive. "Sorry, but could you guys come back later, we're not having visitors now."

"Sure," Nami said, heading towards the door but Gustafa instead headed to the cot to look at the sleeping baby girl.

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he whispered, unable to believe this sleeping symbol of innocence was his child. Now more than ever he felt he needed this child, he glanced over at Nami then back at the baby, a dilemma flashing across his mind. He could speak up about the baby and almost certainly lose Nami and ruin all of Celia's plans, but he would have his daughter and be able to help raise her as his own. Alternatively he could keep quiet, Nami would never have to know but he would barely see the child at all and have no input into raising her, he would lose his daughter.

"Does she have a name yet?" He asked. Celia and Marlin exchanged a glance and then nodded.

"Her name is Rose Fern Bloom," Celia said and Gustafa shuddered at the last name, her name should be Rose Fern Green.

Gustafa swallowed hard, and Celia watched him cautiously, wondering if he would do anything, in fact he didn't know himself.

"She's my daughter," he choked out eventually and Nami stared at him with wide icy blue eyes.

"W… what are you talking about?" She asked confusedly and Celia watched Marlin who didn't seem shocked at all. Nami looked at Marlin to see if he was as horrified as she was, but he wasn't. "Celia… is this true?"

Celia was silent, looking over at her child and already mourning the future that had just been lost for her. "I'm so sorry Nami,"

"How… what?... Marlin you knew about this?"

"Yes," he said quietly and Celia looked at him in surprise. "I saw you being sick a lot and Vesta asked me if I thought you were pregnant, I told her you couldn't be but my suspicions were roused. Then when I asked if you wanted to have a baby and you seemed so willing after everything we'd been through I knew you really were pregnant. It took me a while, but I finally decided I would raise the child as my own… but you told Gustafa…"

"It was an accident… I… it's all such a mess." Celia cried with tears trickling down their face, in fact they all had tears in their eyes.

"Gustafa… you had an affair with Celia?" Nami asked in shock and he nodded guiltily. "How… when?... How could you?"

"I'm so… so sorry, it… it was stupid."

"But enough to wreck our marriage…" She screamed and Celia made signs to hush, or else they would wake the baby. Nami then turned to Marlin, not silencing her voice at all. "You knew about this?"

"I thought you might prefer not to know, I just wanted to forget about it myself." Marlin exclaimed.

"So I've just been walking around like an idiot, not knowing all this time?" Nami screeched, beyond the ability of being able to calm herself. The baby began to cry and Marlin picked her up and put her in Celia's arms to comfort her.

"I think we should all leave, we'll discuss this outside." Marlin suggested, and although Celia knew this meant she would be unable to defend herself, she would prefer to be left in silence with the baby. They all immediately headed outside the door and over to the beach, as soon as they arrived on the golden sands Marlin turned and punched Gustafa in the face, his hand colliding with his jaw with a satisfying clap.

"You bastard!" Nami screamed, slapping Gustafa around the face and crying hysterically. "I loved you so much, I trusted you! I was vulnerable for you! And you hurt me!"

"Nami, it meant nothing, it was just… comfort." He said softly, they weren't exactly the right words, but there weren't any at that point.

"Why…?" She cried, sitting on the sand and rubbing her eyes. Marlin scowled at Gustafa. "I can't stay with you…"

"Please Nami… don't leave me." He whispered and she kept crying.

"No… you're not the man I loved… how can I live with you…? How can I live without you?" She sobbed, feeling her voice crack. "I can't do this right now," she told them and ran into the forest.

Marlin cleared his throat and Gustafa looked at him defiantly, unable to see how he could lose much else.

"You… you can't see the baby. Rose will never know you're the father, I know this was Celia's plan, and I will raise Rose as my own. She's my daughter, not yours." Marlin stated before turning away and leaving Gustafa with absolutely nothing.

* * *

When Lumina and Angel left the restaurant, the stars were shining for them and the moon seemed to watch them with a motherly smile. They held hands and walked down the near empty street, only a few people were left at that time, returning home from the various restaurants and night-time attractions. There were few cars in the road and the world seemed to be at peace. They turned to cross the road, letting go of hands so that Lumina could skip ahead and spin in her dress. Angel dropped something on the black tarmac of the road and smiled apologetically at Lumina, keeping his eyes on her as he bent down to scoop up the thing he dropped. A car sped towards him, across the silent road.

A second later he was dead.

At least that was what it had seemed like to Lumina, she had had her eyes on him the whole time and everything had slowed down, yet it had seemed like just a flash until he was gone out of her life like a snowflake melting on the ground. The car had come so fast and had not seen her Angel until it was far too late, and his fragile body had tumbled across the bonnet of the car. She ran towards his still body, crying and screaming, the driver stopped and stood out of the car, looking down in horror at the sight before him.

Angel's pale skin stood out against the moonlight, his once glittering blue eyes now closed behind a curtain that would never rise again. He looked exactly the same as before, other than a deep gash on his chest from a shard of broken glass that flashed maliciously in the sickly pale moonlight. Lumina looked down at her once white dress, now covered in the blood of her lover, she could feel nothing but cold, numbing pain. She held him tightly, unwilling to let go even when the ambulance came, although it was far too late. A blanket was wrapped around Lumina and while the police questioned people she was left in the dark.

Her throat was so dry and Angel's blood still lingered on her small hands, a dark purple colour that stained his life on her. She blinked and more tears trickled down her cheeks, unbelievable pain crawling through her like a parade of slugs, leaving only emptiness behind. _She would never speak to him again. _She could never again hear words pass from those perfect lips, or feel the happiness of being in heaven, she had been torn out of heaven. Nothing could ever be the same again. She walked down the street, away from the murder scene, her mind was barely working now, all she could think was _he's dead, he's dead, he's dead. _The words played over again like a stuck record that had never been liked in the first place. She kept taking steps forward and time kept passing, but it was all meaningless, time was eradicated and movement was stilled.

She had walked through her gateway, and now there was no turning back.

* * *

Everyone has moments in their lives where they stand at a gateway, once they pass through they can never return to where they were and life can never be the same again. A gateway isn't always a bad thing, but it is a change that you must either make willingly or will be dragged into. A gateway moment can be anything from having a baby, the turn of a century, finding out something you never knew, or even losing the future that you had dreamed of. These are the big moments in your life that you must pass through and the decision you make will affect your life hugely, they are terrifying, but you _can _make it through them. Maybe you'll walk out of the other side a better, stronger person or maybe you'll just crawl and desperately try to make things work, but whatever your gateway moment, remember, there is no turning back.


	42. Old Beginnings and New Endings

Hey again guys,

I want to apologise for the lack off reader-author interaction of late, the fact is I've got work coming out of my ears and pretty much lack the time. So my intention now is to submit as many chapters as possible and then hang up my laptop, as it were.

Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing, and I really do apologise for not having the time to reply to them, honestly if i had anymore time I would.

An extra special thanks to those of you who review even though you know I don't have the time to reply and to those who read even though my updating patterns have been erratic at best.

So anyway, here are the next four chapters...

Thanks y'all!

* * *

42. Old Beginnings and New Endings

The cruel reality of the situation hit Lumina like a cold arctic wind, frosty and lonely. She had kept walking down the cold empty street, completely alone, unable to face the fact that she had lost everything in a single evening, the tears ran down her face like rivers, refusing to dry up, in fact she doubted they ever could. She couldn't shake the cold, empty feeling inside of her, like when you know you haven't revised for a test that is incredibly important, yet so much worse. If you've never lost anyone, it's hard to know exactly what the feeling is like. Suddenly a car pulled up beside her, its headlights blinking in the darkness of the night, as though trying to see. The window was rolled down and a strong, yet gentle looking cop gazed at her patiently.

"Hey m'am, would you mind coming down the station, we have some things we need to ask you about the accident, besides, we found something in your fiancé's hand." He told her softly. She sighed tiredly, but dutifully and silently pulled open the car door and slid inside onto the soft fabric seats, the car smelt like pine and she noticed a green, tree-shaped air freshener hanging by the mirror at the front of the car.

"He wasn't my fiancé," she whispered eventually, realising this information might be important in their information. He looked into the mirror at her, a slight frown upon his middle-aged features.

"He wasn't… but...? Ah well, you'll see." That was all he said. The rest of the journey to the police station was in silence, and Lumina preferred it that way, her head was still pounding.

When they arrived, he let her sit down on a plastic seat and handed her a cup of sweetened coffee, he then pulled out a few files and sat down opposite her, leaning against the table in front of him. From a clear film packet he pulled out a glinting silver-coloured ring, with a pink diamond and two smaller diamonds beside it. He dropped it into her hand and she felt the cool weight of it, judging by the beautiful stones used in the ring she assumed that the metal was platinum.

"What is this?" She asked, holding the ring in her hand.

"Why don't you try it on…" he offered and she shrugged, slipping the cool ring onto the finger next to her little finger, it fit perfectly, she gasped. "We assumed you were engaged, because this was found in his hand, it's an engagement ring."

She swallowed hard, purpose of the ring hit her, he had been planning to propose to her that night with the shining ring she held in her hand.

"I know it's hard ma'm, but could you tell me exactly what happened?" He asked and she breathed in deeply. The images were still painful in her mind, in fact she hadn't even begun to sort them out yet, but she guessed that telling someone would help her sort out the events.

"We had finished dinner and were walking across the road, I walked ahead to turn round and watch him and then… he dropped something… I'm not sure what, it was shiny… he…" She looked down at the ring on her finger and then gasped, immediately slipping it off and placing the offending object on the table. "He was picking up this ring." The tears fell harder now, if only he had planned a different evening to propose… if only the car had come a few seconds later… if only…

"The… car…. Then…. It suddenly hit him." She cried, burying her face in her hands. The cop looked at her sympathetically, looking at the ring on the table.

"Well… I guess that's it then, we've called the university you said you both came from, and we're going to call his parents. We could give his parents the ring… but I think he meant it to be for you, so he might want you to keep it."

She looked at the ring, now seeming to glint maliciously in the dim light of the police station. It seemed like a false friend, she hated it so much, it seemed a symbol of his death, but it also seemed like her only reminder of him. "I'll keep it," she said bravely and scooped it up, placing it on her finger.

* * *

Ann returned back at the farm house finally, dumping her things on the ground and sitting down on the bed, the house seemed to be a mess, it was obvious that Jack had fallen apart without her. He returned from feeding the animals a few minutes later, looking tired and unshaven, but his eyes opened wide when he saw her. He looked like a dog that had been left while his owner went on holiday, and now she had returned and he just wanted to jump up and hug her.

"Hey," he said cautiously, approaching her slowly and noticing a slight smile on her face. "I'm so sorry for everything Ann, you can't know how sorry I am…"

She shrugged. "You can't help your past Jack, maybe you should have told me about it sooner, but I can't blame you for an unfortunate past… I think you blame yourself enough for both of us. Besides, we need to focus on the future."

He grinned for a moment, then seemed to notice that her words were almost too good to be true.

"What happened in Mineral town to change your mind?" He asked suspiciously, cocking his head to one side questioningly. She grinned and took his hands.

"I have some great news Jack," she said with a warm smile and he looked at her eagerly. "I'm pregnant."

He looked from her stomach then back to her face a couple of times, grinning stupidly, he then pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. "That's wonderful! I'm gonna be a Dad!"

"Yeah… not if you keep hugging me like this, you're crushing the baby…"

"Sorry sweetie, wow, this is amazing!" He told her, kissing her on the cheek happily. "I love you,"

"I love you too… I guess," she said with a cheeky grin. "But just promise me that you'll tell me everything from now on."

"I swear," he promised, pulling her into his arms again and thanking his lucky stars for the tiny baby growing inside his wife, no one could love any baby more.

* * *

Celia cradled baby Rose in her arms, gazing at the pure blue eyes that were so filled with innocence. Marlin sat in a chair opposite, gazing thoughtfully at his wife and the little girl she held.

"What are you thinking?" She asked eventually, her eyes not leaving the babies face as she began to rock her gently.

"Nothing," he said softly, shaking his head. Celia sighed, watching as Rose's big blue eyes fluttered shut and she began to breathe gently, she was fast asleep. She took the baby over to the cradle and placed her amongst the soft pink blankets.

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew the baby wasn't yours? How can you possibly raise another man's child as your own without feeling some anger towards her? How can you still love me?" She asked suddenly, all of the questions flooding out of her mouth like morning sickness. Marlin looked at her without surprise, obviously he had known these questions were coming soon.

"I thought we could just raise her as our own, without your happiness compromised or hers, and she's an innocent baby, she doesn't deserve to be scorned for a mistake that her mother made." Celia looked down at the floor with shame when he said this. "Of course I still love you, it hurt me what you did, but we moved past it, and Rose is as much mine as she is yours now. Gustafa won't raise her, and she never needs to know. Besides, we'll have one of our own someday."

Celia smiled wryly, the idea of having a baby of their own was perfect, but she couldn't help feeling pity for Gustafa. He had lost everything the night that her child had been born, now Nami refused to speak to him and the baby would never be his.

"The sooner the better, my love." She replied softly, and Marlin smiled slightly, which was a pretty big smile for him, he walked over and kissed her. "I need to go out for some fresh air, would you mind taking care of the baby?"

"Of course not, you go ahead."

Celia headed straight to Marlin's hut, she felt so much guilt that she knew the situation needed to be resolved, she knocked on the door of the hut and found it opened by Nami.

"Oh erm… is Gustafa in?" She asked nervously, feeling slightly frightened under Nami's angry glare.

"Why, were you looking to sleep with him again? You whore!" Nami snarled bitterly and Celia merely avoided her gaze, she knew she deserved the abuse.

"No… I wanted to apologise for ruining his life, letting his wife hate him and not letting him see his daughter… ever. I also need to ask him never to tell her." She explained, feeling Nami needed anything true right now. Nami frowned, it seemed she was unable to hold up her defence of anger as she began to cry.

"He's at the inn… Celia, I hate you for this… but… but… I know what you did was a mistake… so… I don't want to see you for a while, but eventually I'd like to meet your child properly." Nami said with much effort, Celia looked up at the red-haired girl with new respect.

"Of course, you'll be like an aunt… I'm so sorry…"

"Just go…"

Celia decided not to visit Gustafa after that, she realised that although it seemed he had lost everything, he really hadn't. He had a daughter, and although she would never know he was the father, he would still be a part of her life, which was more than some father's had. All was not lost with Nami, although she needed a lot of time and Gustafa would need to do a lot to make things right, eventually they would get back to roughly normal, although things would never quite be the same.

* * *

Lumina sat on her bed in the dorm room, there was chaos all around her, yet she couldn't seem to notice the people surrounding her sympathetically. She slipped the ring on and off her finger, unable to believe that were he not dead she would be wearing it proudly as his fiancée.

"Lumina, sweetie, you should get some sleep…" Kyra suggested tenderly, Lumina had never heard her sound so caring. She sighed and lay down in bed, knowing she'd never be able to sleep, the pain was so strong that she couldn't even let it out. Eventually the teachers, who had gathered in the room to ask Lumina some questions and make sure she was okay, left to their own rooms, mourning only slightly the loss of their student.

"Ky… he's dead." Lumina whispered, closing her eyes and letting out the silent tears.

"I know Lu, I guess this world was never meant for someone as perfect as him." Kyra suggested comfortingly and Lumina thought about it.

"He knew," she said suddenly and Kyra blinked.

"What?"

"He knew he was going to die young, every time he mentioned our future… he seemed uncertain we'd reach it, and every time I mentioned death he went silent. I think on some level he knew," she said softly and Kyra frowned.

"I dunno Lu, why would he buy the ring if he knew?" She said softly, trying not to shoot down the idea completely as her friend was still fragile.

"To remember him by…" Lumina said, as though she was completely certain of this. Kyra sighed, she knew she would be unable to sleep that night and nor would Lumina, yet she couldn't keep talking about it all, it was too painful. She turned over in bed and went silent, pretending to sleep.

"Why'd you leave me Angel? Couldn't you have taken me with you?" Kyra heard Lumina whisper in the darkness of the night. Kyra felt the tears slide down her cheeks, it was all too tragic.

The next morning Lumina still hadn't slept at all, but people came to her room to tell her that the funeral would be held in a couple of days, and that Angel's family was coming over. Lumina couldn't help but be struck by the painful irony, she was meeting her almost-fiancé's parents after he was dead. She didn't leave her room until the day of the funeral, which she was dreading, she had been to far too many already in her lifetime and each one was for the people closest to her.

When she arrived at the funeral, dressed in a long black dress, she was shocked to find the sheer amount of colour surrounding the church. A blonde haired woman with the clearest, brightest blue eyes she had ever seen, not including Angel's, walked over to her and Lumina knew immediately that she was Angel's mother.

"You must be Lumina," she said with a smile, extending a beautifully manicured hand. Lumina shook it, surprised by the lack of tears in the woman's eyes, how could she be so cold?

"Yeah, I'm so sorry." Was all she could manage to choke out before breaking down into tears again. The blonde woman seemed slightly surprised, but not shocked, she took Lumina into her arms and somehow she felt better, Angel's mother smelt the same as him.

"Crying, and before I introduced myself. I'm Angel's mother, my name is Serenity." A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. "You needn't be so sad you know…"

Lumina looked at her incredulously and Serenity shook her head. "I'm sorry, you misunderstand me, my son's death is of course a sad occasion, after all he has left us. But he is in a better place, he's an angel in heaven now."

It sounded like a sweet idea, but Lumina didn't completely buy in for that, her loved one becoming an angel… seemed too fictional. Serenity seemed to read her thoughts and said, "I don't believe everyone becomes an angel my dear, but my son was a special case… he actually was an Angel, hence the name."

Lumina knew that sadness could make people crazy, but the words coming from this woman's mouth seemed like pure delirium.

"I'm sorry, I need to…" Lumina couldn't think of an excuse but she needed to get away, she needed to be with other people who seemed sadder.

However, even after searching the entire congregation she found no sign of sadness, everyone believed he was now an angel where he belonged. Although she could find no melancholy soul, she did run into Angel's dad, who was not as she expected him to be. As she had been told one of his legs was false, made from some titanium alloy, and his sleeve was rolled down over one hand, he had dark hair and blue eyes, not electric, clear eyes like Angel and his mother, but dull grey-blue. He was slightly on the chubby side, and he had a kind smile and Lumina could almost feel the warmth radiating off him.

"Why hello Lumina, Angel told me a lot about his fiancée to be." Angel's father said with a smile. "My name's Hank."

Lumina echoed the name in her mind, Hank was a fairly ordinary name for a fairly ordinary man, he seemed like the odd one out in his family.

"I know you're wondering how a guy like me came to have such a beautiful wife and son… now there's a story… but maybe it's not the time or place to hear the long version. Man meets beautiful woman, man falls in love, asks woman out to dinner, is shocked when she says yes, man realises that an angel does not judge, does not look for perfection but creates it in the ordinary." He said with a smile that only came from thinking of the fondest memories. "We had a son, saw his beautiful, blue eyes and realised that he was an angel too, so we named him Angel. But I think all of us knew he wouldn't stay here for long…"

"What do you mean?" Lumina asked, she was far too cynical to listen to stories of angels. "You really think they're angels?"

Hank looked serious for a moment and turned his gaze to Lumina's eyes. "My wife has always believed she was a fallen angel, I thought she was crazy, but eventually I realised… she's too perfect not to be. I believe my son is an angel, whether he is or he isn't, it doesn't really matter, believing that he's back in heaven is the only way I'm surviving. So yeah, I really think they're angels."

"Angel was the most perfect guy I ever met… probably ever will meet… I wish I could have kept him like you kept your wife." She told him sadly and Hank nodded.

"Me too… but we should count ourselves blessed, we've been touched by an angel."

Lumina swallowed hard, although she had gotten over the initial shock of Angel's parents being less than melancholy, she still found it strange, but maybe she was the strange one.

After the ceremony in which everyone had said many words about Angel being as pure as the fresh fallen snow, Lumina left feeling even more incomplete. How could she ever sum Angel up in a few words? How could a few pointless anecdotes help her get over this pain? By Angel's gravestone she found Kyra, kneeling to place a bunch of red roses on top of the green grass above his grave.

"Do you find it strange, Kyra? That his parents really believed he was an angel?" Lumina asked and Kyra looked up with tears in her green eyes. Kyra shook her head and fell softly into Lumina's arms, the tears trickling down her face. While Kyra cried, Lumina began to realise that she believed Angel was a celestial being, but her reason was far less idealistic than his parents'. She believed that he was an Angel, because if he wasn't then he had been uncertain about their future for reasons other than his own death.

"I know I wasn't as close to him as you Lu… but how can anyone ever get over this?" Kyra asked the question that Lumina had been asking since his death had really hit her, where did she go from there? To have had all her dreams scrunched up like a piece of waste paper, how could she ever rebuild from that. Although she found it difficult to decide on anything, she had one idea of what to do, and it seemed now to be the only one.


	43. Back to the Start

43. Back to the Start

If we could take our lives from this point now, knowing all we know, would you go back to the point where everything was okay and do it all again? If you could, would you keep all of the memories, although you know things could never be the same if you knew the things you know now? Or would you start completely fresh?

* * *

Sitting down on her bed, the room suddenly seemed so empty, Lumina had packed up all her things into suitcases. She had made her decision to leave her life behind now, it would be too painful to stay at the college now, one day she decided she would return to the outside world, but right now she needed a place that was far away from everything.

"I can't believe you're going back to Forget-Me-Not valley," Kyra said softly, with deep pain in her voice. Lumina nodded silently, running a hand across the soft sheets of the bed. She smiled slightly and looked at Kyra with eyes that told of infinite regret.

"You know that I can't stay… I'm proud of you for staying here though Ky, it's been a pleasure knowing you. I really wish you the best of luck for your future." Lumina told her with a genuine smile.

"You'd better look me up when you come back to reality," Kyra said with a smile and Lumina nodded. "You really can't stay?"

"Really,"

"Thought as much. But Lu, don't forget about him… he stays alive in your heart."

"I could never forget about him, I won't forget you either… I promise." She assured her and Kyra smiled, wrapping her arms around Lumina for a tight hug.

"One day I'll settle down with a husband, you'll see. Then I'll call you round, and you can tell me how beautiful my kids are." Kyra said with a smirk and a laugh, Lumina nodded, she really hoped that Kyra was right. "Are you gonna marry that Rock guy?"

Lumina was silent, she was pretty sure she had thrown away her future with Rock the day she first kissed Angel, maybe they'd never be the same as they were. "The future's too uncertain for plans, I know that now."

"I'm sure gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

It seemed they'd had nothing but tearful goodbyes since Angel's death, and so the final tears they would cry together were shed and Lumina found herself heading back to everything that was old and familiar.

* * *

Nami found herself in the dark on her own, sitting in the hut that had become her home when she had married Gustafa and had become her prison since she had found out about his affair. She found it difficult to leave the place, for fear that she would run into people, there was too much shame in that. Gustafa would be staying at the inn now, how strange that their living conditions had been reversed. She could never really forgive him, he had taken away her self-confidence, and knocked her down so hard that she could never climb back. He had assured her that the affair was nothing to do with her, he had never compromised his love for her, Celia could just provide something he needed that she couldn't. But that made Nami feel inadequate, what was it she couldn't give him? She had given him everything she had, everything she had never given anyone else.

A sudden knock on the door left her feeling dazed at startled, she had been thrown out of her musings, she shuffled towards the door, turning on the lights that had been off for days. She opened up the colourful door to find Marlin standing there.

"Can I come in?" He asked and Nami hesitated. She knew he had been through the same things as she had, yet he still seemed like the enemy. Eventually she nodded and moved aside so that he could walk into the hut. "Nami, you can't live like this."

She lowered her eyes, a heavy frown upon her face that weighed down her pretty features. "I don't have a choice…"

"Of course you do, everyone has a choice." He replied, his voice sounded quite neutral. "So you choose loneliness over forgiveness."

"How can you let her… how can you forgive her… how can you respect yourself?" She asked bitterly and his blue eyes widened briefly. He was silent and so she decided to explain her point further. "I mean, the reason she slept with Gustafa was because he could offer her something you couldn't, doesn't that make you feel inadequate, I mean…"

"Shut up," Marlin snapped and Nami jumped back with a stunned look on her face. He then seemed shocked at his own harshness and shook his head, his voice quietening like the wind after a large gale. "Please, don't Nami."

"Hurts, doesn't it? How can you forgive her then?" She asked coldly and Marlin sent a pained look in her direction.

"Because I can't live without her," he said quietly and Nami's eyes widened. A sympathetic look spread across her face and she did something that she hadn't done before when she felt sorry for herself, she put her own pain aside and comforted another human being. She placed a pale hand on his shoulder and felt it shake as he broke down and swallowed back the tears that had been preparing themselves for a long time. He blinked back the tears and forced back his stony front.

"Look Nami, I can't make you let Gustafa back into your life, but your other choices are limited."

"I know that," she whispered, swallowing hard and feeling the dryness of her throat. Then they both sat in silence, the realisation that someone else felt the same was both comforting and painful at the same time.

* * *

Sitting in the backseat of a taxi, staring out of the window, Lumina felt numb with anticipation of seeing the valley-dwellers again. But her mind wasn't really focusing on that subject, she was still reliving the moment where Angel got hit by the car again and again, each time she would shudder remembering the sickening sounds of car colliding with his body. But he had gone out so fast, so suddenly, like a candle blown out by the wind, his death had been almost silent. She could still feel her stomach sinking with regret each time she thought about him, had she done something differently, would they still be together?

She had pondered it too many times now, living in her mind the reality where she and Angel had walked off together that night, where he had proposed to her in the emerald grass lit by the mystic moon. In that reality the very air would vibrate with happiness and Lumina would know that if she had died instead at that moment, her happiness would have been complete. That thought was somehow sobering to her, maybe he had died with his happiness complete, so the end had not been so untimely after all, but she couldn't guarantee that.

Living in denial seemed to be the best remedy for her soul at that point, and everyone lives in denial sometimes, so maybe it is not so unhealthy.

"Hey kid," the taxi driver looked into his rear-view mirror at her solemn face. "We're almost at the harbour now, so where ya off to?"

"Home," she whispered, continuing to stare out at the passing roads. He nodded and continued to watch the road ahead, wondering slightly about the silence of his passenger, he decided it was best not to ask, he'd seen passengers absorbed by their troubles before and more often that not they didn't want to talk about them; besides, he was no psychologist.

Eventually they arrived at the harbour and she paid him in cash, stepping out of the car and breathing in the salty sea air, the seagulls circling the air above her. She began to walk toward the dock when the cab driver called out to her, "hey kid," she turned to look at him with curiosity. "It'll work out."

She simply nodded, she knew that there was now way that it could work out, unless someone invented a way to raise the dead. She headed over to find a boat that would take her to Mineral town, to all that was familiar, she should have known she'd end up back where she started. No one escaped the valley. They say that in all good essays or stories the reader is lead on an almost circular journey, they will be lead through the story only to return to the beginning point at the end, enriched with a different view on the beginning. Lumina was definitely returning with a different view, but this one was just as bleak as her view had been at the start, after yet another death.

She arrived outside a large building that stood before a rather small shipping port with one big ship and a few smaller ones. She headed over to the reception desk to find a blonde woman with deep red lipstick smothered on her thin lips.

"Where to?" She asked tediously in a thick, Tennessee accent. Lumina licked her own dry lips and leant on the desk for support.

"Mineral town," she said quietly and the bored expression left the receptionists face.

"Mineral town? Why the hell would you wanna go there?" She asked in a high voice and Lumina shrugged.

"I guess it's where I belong."

The receptionist shrugged and typed in the destination on her computer, it seemed to take her a long time to find any boats willing to travel to the island, but eventually she printed out a ticket and handed it to Lumina in exchange for a rather large sum of money.

"Have a nice day," the woman said with false sweetness and Lumina nodded, wheeling her suitcase away to sit on one of the blue plastic chairs in the room. Her ship wouldn't be for another five hours, which would give most people a change to go shopping beforehand, but it seemed too strenuous to her. So she took her seat and remained there, waiting for her ship to come in.

* * *

"Eat up my little cherub!" Jack said sweetly, placing yet another plate of pancakes in front of his pregnant wife. Ann looked at them with distaste, turning slightly green.

"Jack, please no more!" She begged. "How fat do you want our kid to be?"

He sat down opposite her and held her hands gently. "Look, I just want to take care of you and my kid, this is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. You're the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me, and I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong." He told her sheepishly and she looked back at him with a sympathetic expression, her blue eyes meeting his with compassion.

"You can't guarantee that sweetie, not with all the pancakes in the IHOP franchise, I'm sure everything will be fine. You don't need to worry." She promised him and he nodded.

"I just love the kid so much already," he told her and she nodded.

"Me too."

"So which do you hope it is? Boy or girl?" He asked and she looked down at her stomach.

"I really don't mind, either is perfect." She told him with a smile and he nodded in agreement, he would be ecstatic with either.

"So I think we need to extend the house a little, our kid's gonna want their own room." He said and Ann nodded dreamily, slipping into a daydream of what their child would be like, boy or girl.

* * *

The Mineral town inn was just as Lumina had remembered it, although it seemed a little bigger with the absence of Ann. She found it almost strange that the fiery red head had ended up with her ex-boyfriend, but she had to admit, she could see the match. Doug had seemed surprised to see her at first, but had promised not to tell the valley of her arrival, instead he lead her up to a familiar room and sat down opposite her, asking her for her news. She had no idea what to tell him, or whether to tell him about the recent destroying events of her life, so she settled for the easiest answer she could muster, which also rang out true.

"Oh, you know, the usual."

* * *

The inky darkness of the evening seemed to spread over Nami's features too, leaving her pupils enlarged and her eyes nearly black. She sat on the grass outside of the colourful hut, her eyes focused on nothing in particular. The spot she sat in was right outside the inn, perfect for Gustafa to look outside of the window and see what he gave up. He watched her until he could stand it no more, slipping out of his room and heading down the silent staircase.

"Nami, I can't take this anymore." He told her and she looked at him sadly. "We're only human, I made a mistake, but I can't imagine my life without you. You know when it comes down to it, I'd do anything to protect you. I'll do anything to get you back."

"You mean you're willing to fight for me?" She asked and he nodded quickly. "I'm not ready to forgive you."

"I know, I'm just asking you to let me back into your life, I don't expect your forgiveness." He told her and she nodded. She stood up and walked into the house, leaving the door open so that he could bring his things and that was how she allowed him back into her life, even if things weren't perfect, at least they weren't lonely.


	44. Easier To Lie

44. Easier To Lie

Arriving on the doorstep of the old mansion, Lumina's nostrils were affronted with the familiar scent of home with added dust. She found the unlocked window that she always entered through and slipped in, dropping her possessions beside her on the carpet. The mansion seemed surprisingly cold, and dark as usual since all of the curtains were closed. She sat down in one of the comfy old chairs and thought about her next course of action, did she go straight to the inn? She supposed that would be the best thing, but she felt too tired from her journeys, both emotional and physical.

So she left her things on the ground floor and climbed up the stairs to her old bedroom. Before she would have felt some guilt about breaking into a house that was no longer hers and sleeping in a bed that no longer belonged to her, it held the same ethical questions as the story of "Goldilocks and the three bears", but somehow she had lost her ability to care. She curled up on her soft bed and almost instantly found herself drifting off.

* * *

As the morning arrived the weather was dismal, the sky was lavender-grey in colour, smothered in storm clouds, and fat droplets of rain collided with the cool autumn ground, leaving layers of condensation on the inside of everyone's windows. Lumina finally summoned the strength to leave the mansion and carry her possessions down the steep hill and to the inn. She took in a deep breath and knocked on the door, hoping it would be Tim that opened the door, he would be by far the most level headed about her arrival. Instead she found the door opened by the first love of her life, Rock stood in the doorway, registering her appearance with surprise.

They stood looking at each other for a moment, the rain was still falling down hard and trickling down Lumina's face, she realised she must have a bedraggled appearance. Suddenly she fell into his arms, feeling the warmth of his chest on hers, hot through her wet shirt, she had forgotton how much she missed him holding her. He stroked her back comfortingly, it was so familiarly safe that she found her chest heaving with tears. Rock didn't say a word, he was just treasuring the fact that he held the girl he thought he'd never see again in his arms.

He took her inside eventually and sat her by the fire in his bedroom, studying her face and trying to remember every single feature, he felt like crying just like she was. He placed a hand to her cool, wet cheek looking at the tears in her eyes and wishing he could take the pain away. She looked at him with wide, expressive brown eyes that he had missed gazing into, he could pass his life just by looking at her. Still neither said a word, just soaking up each other, dripping wet from the rain, both biting their lips and wondering who would speak first.

Rock cleared his throat eventually, taking his hand from her cheek and brushing the wet hair from his face, taking his eyes off her and staring at the white duvet on the bed that they were sitting on. "Lu… w… why… how?" His mind was barely functioning, having the complete love of his life sitting there was just too much. "I can't think,"

"Don't, just hold me." She told him, feeling so small and insecure at that moment that she desperately needed to seek comfort in him. He wanted to tell her no, that she couldn't just toy with his emotions, that she had left him and she couldn't have him back now. But his compassion for her stopped him and his love for her made him lean forward and take her delicate frame into his arms.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you." He spoke his vulnerability without thinking about it, but that was just him, opening himself up to her like he'd never been able to stop himself from doing. "Trust you to make a dramatic entrance when it's pouring with rain."

She sniffed and then giggled. "I've missed you too Rock." He smiled, enjoying the feeling that her words gave him, before realising that he couldn't let her love him and leave him again.

"What about Angel, Lu, you can't do this to me just when you need comfort!" He told her and she shook her head, she didn't know how she could begin to tell him. She let go of him and sat gazing at him sadly, unsure of what to say.

"There is no Angel anymore," she whispered and he cocked his head.

"You mean your relationship is over?" He asked eagerly.

She nodded.

"You left him?" He asked hopefully.

She shook her head and sighed, "he kinda left me."

"Oh Lu, I'm sorry, he shouldn't have done that to you, what a complete and utter…"

"It wasn't like that." Lumina interjected. "I… it wasn't his fault."

Rock frowned for a moment but then shook his head, she was obviously in denial. "What do you plan to do now, Lumina?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Was I ever gonna escape this place?" She asked sadly and he glared at her.

"I don't see why you always need to escape, why couldn't you ever just be happy?" He didn't sound angry so much as indignant but she shook her head, he would never understand that she had dreams bigger than this place.

"Rock, does it really matter?"

He shook his head, he had no idea what to do with her now though, did he let her stay in the room that Gustafa had just vacated, did he tell her to go back to the mansion? Could he really let her back into his life when he had only just managed to let her go? He sighed and left her sitting on the bed while he went to find Ruby, she would be happy to know that Lumina was back.

* * *

Lumina had almost managed to forget how much she loved her family in the valley. They were now holding a party at Blue bar in her honour and she couldn't help but feel a little bit of happiness, for herself and for everyone else. It was amazing to see how much they'd all grown up, Celia and Marlin had a child, Gustafa and Nami were sorting out their issues, then there was seeing Jack again. She couldn't explain how strange it was to see him again after the last night she had seen him, when he had tried to make her choose between Rock and himself, offering her one last ultimatum.

"Jack," she whispered, falling into his arms and relishing the amazing feeling of seeing him again. "It's been far too long."

"It sure has Lumina, and you've met my wife, Ann." He said, gesturing to the pregnant red head and beaming, Ann waddled over and hugged Lumina tightly.

"It's good to see you again Lumina, fancy us having a guy in common, eh?" She joked and Lumina flushed red.

"Haha, yeah, but that seems like another life now." She said softly, she could barely remember what it was like when she and Jack were together. She wondered what her life would have been like had Jack never broken up with her, had she never realised her love for Rock. What if she had taken his ultimatum and picked him over Rock, would she ever have left the valley?

"Well I'm really glad you came back Lumina, I've missed you." Jack told her with a smile and she grinned back. She couldn't even put into words how good it was to see him again, partly because he was the only one who could truly understand what she was going through, he too had lost a lover. Yet she couldn't bring herself to tell him, maybe it was something she could never ever reveal.

"I've missed you too," she told him quietly, before moving along in the crowd to find Sebastian. He was one who had encouraged her to leave the valley, if he had never come back and supported her, would she ever have met Angel? He was ecstatic to see her, which was very pleasing and warming, but it did little to fill the great hole inside her.

"My Lumina, it seems you've grown a lot," he told her with a crinkled smile, his pale blue eyes still sparkling for her.

"Oh Sebastian…" she said softly and he let out a rasping chuckle, pulling her into his arms. She smiled genuinely, his was the most familiar face in her life, he was still her father figure and held a very special place in her heart. Still, there was no one in her life she could tell about the grave accident in her life, how could any of them understand? The world out there wasn't their own, it was hers and hers alone; she couldn't let them know that she had lost another person in her life.

Finally when the festivities were over and she had crawled back into her old bed at the inn, she could let herself relax and take off the brave face.

"Lumina, you're crying… You really miss Angel?" Rock asked sympathetically and she nodded, wiping a pearly tear from her eye. He sat down next to her on the soft bed, running a hand soothingly down her back. "Did he tell you why he left?"

"He… he didn't really need to… Look Rock, I can't… I can't talk about this, so please just don't ask." She whispered, swallowing down the tears.

"I can't believe we've become so separate from each other's lives that you don't feel you can tell me everything anymore." Rock whispered mournfully and she shook her head.

"You know it's not about that…"

"Don't you miss the days when we'd just sit up and talk about everything?"

"Of course I do, those were some of the best days of my life." She told him honestly. He looked at her seriously, reaching over and wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

"Mine too. Do you remember all those nights we spent talking about the future?" He asked, looking away for a moment, he missed those nights most of all. "Why didn't we work out, Lu?"

"You broke up with me." She said simply, but with no accusation. He then had a pained look in his brown eyes, his full mouth developing into a frown.

"Biggest mistake of my life. When I saw you again… I wanted to tell you how stupid I was and to ask you back, but I missed my chance, didn't I?"

"We've both made a lot of stupid mistakes Rock, if it were meant to be, wouldn't it have all been easier?" She said softly, her eyes were downcast and her bottom lip was shaking slightly.

"No one ever said relationships were easy, Lu, you just have to work at them. And we both gave up."

She remained silent, looking at the decorations of her small room, she was surrounded by her old life and so affected by her old choices.

"Would you ever want to give it one more try?" Rock asked suddenly, deciding he might as well put the question out in the open. She looked at him with large eyes, they were studying him. Her body was tense for a few moments, then it relaxed into an almost surrendering position.

"I don't know, I'd need to think about it." She told him, she was far too tired to think about such serious matters now.

"Of course," Rock responded understandingly. "I'll talk to you later, G'night Lu."

* * *

Ann sat across the table from Jack, watching him as he added up their accounts for the month, winter was approaching quickly, and with that came a more relaxing time as there was less to grow and the animals could not venture outside as much. Besides, nature's bounty was less in the frozen winter, which meant less gathering.

"The baby's due in late spring," Ann told him with a smile and Jack grinned, circling the date on his calendar with a thick red pen. "Isn't it great that Lumina's back? I wonder what happened to make her leave her perfect life in America." Ann wondered aloud and Jack bit his lip.

"I think Rock told me that her boyfriend left her, I still don't see why that'd make her leave, there are other men." He pointed out, remembering the words Lumina herself had told him, _"there are plenty more fish in the sea."_

"Maybe that one was really special… or maybe his leaving made her realise how great she and Rock had it," Ann suggested with a shrug.

"Maybe," Jack said with hesitation, as though he didn't really believe this to be the answer. "Whatever the reason I'm sure she'll tell us in time."

"Yeah… maybe." Ann reiterated.

* * *

Celia and Marlin sat with their little baby snuggled in a blanket and balanced in Celia's arms.

"Celia," Marlin said, his blue eyes looking at the likewise coloured eyes of the baby. "Do you think she'll ever realise that I'm not her real father?"

Celia was silent, she could sense the pain in those words Marlin had spoken, as though he could think of nothing worse. "Of course not, why would she?"

"What if someone lets it slip?" He asked and again she was silent for a moment.

"No one in the valley could be that cruel." She assured him and he sighed.

"What if they do it by accident?" He asked feebly, he sounded so fragile, like a child asking if there really were ghosts in his bedroom.

"They won't, no one's that stupid," she told him, and Marlin seemed somewhat relieved. Celia looked away for a moment, her mouth pulled into a frown, those had been the exact same questions on her mind. She had answered them so definitely, but really she had been lying through her teeth, she couldn't tell Marlin the truth: that usually secrets like these could not be kept very long. She knew it would be easiest for everyone if she just kept the lies going, even though she knew that one day they would become tangled in their web of lies.

* * *

Lumina watched the old tree by the inn with its last golden leaf just barely hanging on. It seemed so metaphorical for how she felt right now, just barely gripping on to this painful life. It made her wonder: when the wind blew it would push the leaf right off the edge, would she be able to hold on when the wind blew? She knew that in the spring the tree would fill its branches with glossy green leaves, but what would become of the decrepit forgotten leaves? They would rot on the ground.

She shuddered, pulling her thin coat tighter around her, keeping her autumn coloured eyes on the leaf.

"Lumina, don't you want to come inside?" Rock asked, walking out of the inn and wrapping his arms around her to keep her warm. She relished the heat, like she used to with Angel's warmth.

"No… I um…" she murmured and Rock continued to hold her. She had begun to forget just how much she had missed being held. She felt his arms slacken as he began to release her, but she grabbed his arms to keep them around her.

"Please, don't let go…" she whispered, he seemed to be the only force keeping her from falling down, like the leaf. She felt a chill wind blow, biting her cheeks and making Rock snuggle tighter to her.

The wind howled loudly and swung itself at the leaf, which soon gave up the ghost and tumbled slowly to the ground, twisting in the air as its final dance before it fell lifeless on the floor, such is the nature of this world. We live, we die, our offspring live and they die and we all end up just where we started from, cold and alone, only with the scars on our skin that prove that we lived before we died. Although life is short it is beautiful, like the descent of a golden leaf, dancing its last in the winter breeze, so precious but so fragile. When, sooner or later, it's over, you've got to dance your heart out while it lasts and believe that you will dance forever. People will go about their lives, forgetting that the end could be just around the corner, parents tell their children that they will live a long and happy life. That's the lie we all tell because we are not immortal.


	45. Turn Back Time

45. Turn Back Time

A lot of time had passed since those happy days at the valley, when she and Rock had been perfect together and every couple had been happy, but then time and nostalgia have a way of sweetening the memories that were not so perfect at the time. This addition of sugar can make you wish you could go back and that you could have stayed in that happy moment, it makes you wonder if you made the wrong decision in changing things, although maybe the change is a good thing, leading you onto memories you will find sweet once again.

* * *

Lumina sat with Angel's ring in her hand, the shimmering platinum looking as water did when it trickled across a silver surface, the diamonds glittered beautifully with their total internal reflection of the light in the room. She swallowed hard, although it was a beautiful ring, it was also painful to hold, lovely as it was the memories of good times were bittersweet. She had spent so much time wondering whether decisions she could have made would have prevented those unhappy events.

There was a knock on the door and Lumina quickly clasped the cool ring in her hand, hidden from view.

"Come in," she murmured, trying to take the emotion out of her voice. Rock entered with a shy smile on his face and wandered over to sit next to her on the bed.

"I was wondering if you wanted to walk up to the mansion with me, then maybe we could talk?" He asked nervously and Lumina swallowed hard, talking always seemed to bring about a problem. Talking opened one up and brought about new ideas between whoever engaged in such an activity, sometimes amazing things come from it, and sometimes only trouble and heartache, in short the world would be a much simpler place for all without "the talks".

So they walked in the chill winter air to the mansion, which had been coated in glittering white, almost as though sprinkled with icing sugar. Rock reached down and took Lumina's hand, his large hand was warm around her slender, cool one.

"I've been thinking a lot about us, Lu… have you thought anymore about whether you'd want to try it again?" He asked, not in an exactly pressuring way, but the tone was implied.

She wanted to shake her head, put this talk off again, but in truth she had thought about it, she'd thought about it a lot. But she had come to a point when she wondered, if a relationship is on and off so many times, maybe it gets to a point when it's just stupid to try it again. Did the "third time's a charm" rule apply? She couldn't think of how it could be like it was before unless they invented a time machine, and she wasn't sure how close Daryl was to that.

"I have… a lot… but Rock, could it ever really be the same as it was? I mean, everything happens for a reason, so there's probably a reason it didn't work out." She suggested, her golden eyes unable to meet his darker brown ones, her heart and feelings of pity wouldn't let her say no, but her mind and sense wouldn't let her say yes.

"Maybe… who knows if we don't try, Lu? I mean, we came so far, it seems stupid to quit now."

Lumina wrinkled her nose, he made it sound so much like a chore, like it was some kind of job or race that they had to complete or else they would be quitters. But in life, the only end of the race is death, you can never have a happy ending in real life, after all, what defines the end? Nothing is certain, who can perceive that Prince Charming won't just find some hot, blonde slut and ride away with her, leaving poor Cinders with naught but her glass slippers. Who can say there ever is a safe zone in relationships, even after marriage, when you can say "looks like we made it", because it could all end tomorrow.

"What do you say, Lu?" He prompted, taking her hands and forcing her to look into his eyes. "Could you find it in your heart to give me another shot?"

Her heart was racing, she couldn't deny him, but there was so much he didn't know about what entering into a relationship with her truly meant.

"Okay," she whispered, as the wind whirled around her ears, her quiet voice seemed to ring out through the silence, as though making a binding contract.

* * *

"Can you feel it, my dear?" Gustafa whispered into Nami's ear, his voice was almost as chilling as the cold winter air. They sat in the woods, by the tall tree, discussing what their future, and the future of the valley held. "Everything is settling down again, shouldn't we too?"

"What do you mean "settling down"?" She questioned, in no more than a whisper herself, her lips were pursed tightly in curiosity of what her husband had to say.

"Jack and Ann are about to have a baby, Celia and Marlin…" He trailed off after that, they didn't discuss his child. He felt Nami shudder against him and so he moved quickly on. "I think even Rock and Lumina are close to finding their happy ending."

Nami stood up quickly, her behind was wet from sitting on the cold, damp ground. "There are no happy endings Gustafa."

"No… perhaps not. But there are new beginnings."

Nami pondered this for a moment, and realised what had been said in that last minute was a truth that had been covered up for centuries by fairytales. There truly were never happy endings, with no way of defining that it has been reached, but once a couple marry, or have a baby, they begin something new, a fresh stage to their relationship that is pure and exciting because it adds a new definition to their relationship and keeps the happiness going. So maybe the bad, old things of a relationship can be forgotten then, it doesn't need to have been perfect all along, once you enter this new stage everything is forgiven because everything is different, and it is only through these new beginnings that we continue our lives. Moments of happiness are brief, but once found, these little moments are what give us the will to continue, we enjoy them for what they are because we know nothing is permanent.

"What did you have in mind for our new beginning?" She asked eventually and a large grin appeared on his face.

"A Gustami!" He exclaimed and she frowned at him.

"A what?"

"A Namafa then!"

"Bless you?"

Gustafa sighed and then decided to explain his theory in layman's terms. "I'm mixing our two names to suggest that we have a baby."

"Oh… oh…" Nami said softly, could she really see herself being a mother? How could both of them, with all their weirdness and emotional issues, hope to possibly bring up a normal, well-adjusted child?

He seemed to see through her anxieties when he said. "You'll be a terrific mother once you have a child of your own. Besides, there aren't nearly enough mal-adjusts in the world."

She laughed and the idea suddenly seemed like a good one. "We're going to have a baby!"

"We are indeed."

* * *

"I about reckon' everything's workin' out!" Vesta exclaimed, grinning at Griffin who was strumming a few notes on his guitar.

"How'd you figure?" He asked, his moustache twitching slightly as he looked over at the woman he loved that didn't return his feelings.

"All the young couples are together, soon even Rock an' Lumina'll be married! An' there's li'l youngins poppin' up all over the place!" Vesta said cheerily and Griffin nodded, he was glad there were children around, but all of them reminded him of his dead adoptive daughter, Muffy. He wondered who she would have ended up with, and whether she would have had children, but life has a way of going on without the people it leaves behind.

"You're thinkin' of 'er again aren'tcha?" Vesta asked sympathetically, placing a large hand on Griffin's back.

"Course, ma little lady never really left," he said, looking up at a picture of young Muffy that he had hanging over the bar.

"Shucks Griffin, ya know we ain't forgotten her!" Vesta told him and he sighed, it sure seemed that everyone had moved on just fine. "Cheer up Griffin, I had some right pleasing news for ya!"

"And what might that be?" He asked, strumming yet another chord on his little, old guitar.

"I think I might be falling in love with you!" She told him with a grin. "I realised that Cody sure as hell ain't my type, and I'd always come second to nature."

"That sure is… err… pleasing news, Vesta, ya quite sure you ain't doin this just cos everyone else is all happy and in love?" He checked and she shook her head, pulling him into her wide arms and squeezing half the life out of him. "Gee Vesta, this is the happiest I've been in a long time."

"Shucks Griff, me too!" She agreed, batting the thick eyelashes that fringed her emerald eyes.

* * *

Lumina sat against the kitchen table, her eyes level with a small white feather lingering on the smooth surface. She blew the feather and watched it skid across the table and away from the offending gust of wind, she smirked a little, at least focusing on the feather took her mind off her situation. She should be happy really, she knew that, and she supposed that a part of her was, but she felt so desperately guilty. She knew that eventually Rock would need to know that Angel hadn't just left her, that he was in fact dead.

"Do you think we should get married?" Rock's voice came from the room next door, Lumina choked, blowing the feather right off the table. "It was just a suggestion Lu, I know we're nowhere near ready yet… or are we? Maybe we are?"

Lumina shook her head quickly and he nodded.

"Of course we're not ready, we'll take it slow then, yeah?" Rock asked and she sighed deeply, she really wished he didn't feel he had to check every ten seconds whether they were moving forward or not.

"I'm, uh, gonna go for a walk," she said, pushing herself down from the table and walking across the room.

"You want me to come with you?"

"No, that's fine," she said quickly, making a gesture for him to stay seated. "I need some me time, you know, just me, no you… yes?"

"Sure Lu, you go ahead." He said, he knew he sounded needy, but he couldn't help wanting to check she was okay.

She sat down at the mansion, but the front of the house, a place she didn't expect people to look for her, due to the fact that no one seemed to spend time around the mansion anymore. She sensed someone behind her and took a deep breath.

"Did you have to follow me, Rock?" She asked, seething, but was surprised when she heard a different voice.

"Well I'm sure glad I've still got a youthful step," Griffin said with a smile. "Mind if I take a seat next to ya, li'l lady?"

"Sure, if you cut the little lady crap," she said coolly. He chuckled and took a seat next to her.

"You're getting cynical in your old age, and a little too big for your boots might I add. You're always gonna be a li'l lady to me, Miss. Lumina, since you're the same amount younger than me each year, no matter how old ya get." He told her, without anger or condescending tone. "Besides, it cheers me up some to call someone li'l lady, since Muffy passed on."

He'd done it, he'd played the Muffy card, the thing that took away any sour note from her voice, she sighed.

"Now, I'm gonna give you some unwanted advice, seems to be what we ol' folks are good for, eh? Ya know he only crowds ya cos he loves ya, and cos he wants to make sure no harm comes to you."

"Maybe… but I don't need crowding right now…"

"Sure ya do, you need excess crowding right now so's you can get back to normal. Now I know you've suffered some hardships in your little life, and I know that all you wanna do right now is block everyone out. But ya might wanna tell him what's on your mind, a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved ya know."

"I can't tell him yet," she said softly, her voice barely audible above the cool winter wind.

"That may be true, but you're gonna have ta one day, and I know you know that to be true."

She nodded, and then sat silently for a minute, the truth always seems to have a way of making its way out at the most inappropriate time, but she knew she didn't want it out now, so the later the better. Although it wasn't something that seemed to directly affect them, she knew that Angel's death would never sit well with Rock, because he would always wonder whether she would have preferred to marry Angel. It wouldn't matter how much she explained that they were different people and that she loved them both for different reasons, Rock would always feel that he lived in the shadow of a dead man.

"I know, and I hope he can forgive me when he finds out." She murmured. The wind tossed her hair around as they sat for a while with their different thoughts, she contemplating how she would explain the truth, and he debating whether the thing he had always wanted was what was truly dearest to his heart. Maybe for Griffin there would only be room for one girl in his heart, the little blonde girl that lay in a grave on a grassy bank. So maybe the two had more in common than they might have thought, their hearts both belonged to those who had passed on. They would both gladly have sacrificed their own lives to bring the dead back, and they both were praying for the ability to turn back time.


	46. Baby Fever and Commitment Phobia

Well guys, there's now only 4 chapters left, I think I've done this story to death, and indeed, there have been far too many deaths. I think you'll all agree.

A big thank you to **kelley28** for putting this story in the C2 community: **The Greatest Stories By The Greatest Authors.**

This is very flattering, and must be what it feels like to win an oscar :)

"I'd like to thank..." (insert teary acceptance speech here)

Anyway, I'm gonna submit 2 chapters now and the final two at a somewhat later date.

Thanks y'all.

* * *

46. Baby Fever and Commitment Phobia

Spring arrived as a breath of fresh air to the weary, cold valley, everything was fresh, new and beautiful again. It was the breathtakingly spectacular time of new life, where fresh buds and baby animals popped up everywhere, and as lovely as the gift of life was, Ann felt everything but attractive. She was swollen in places she didn't even know she had, there was no point in even trying to look pretty as her stomach was so swollen it looked like she'd swallowed a hot air balloon. Jack, ever the sweetheart, told her she was still his stunning wife, but she knew that nothing with a two foot belly could be called anywhere near attractive (Van was proof of this).

"Ohh God, I feel like a blimp!" She complained as Jack moved her to a chair by the front porch for some fresh air. He pulled back her plaits and let the air cool her neck after the effort of moving.

"Nonsense Sugarlips, you're still as beautiful as the day I married you." He told her sweetly, pecking her on the cheek.

"Are you kidding?! I look like a cow… you're telling me I looked like this at the wedding?" She demanded and he shook his head.

"No I just…" He then gave up and sighed, he had soon realised that there was no point in arguing with a heavily pregnant woman. She raised and eyebrow at him and then followed his sigh, arguing was too much effort when she was this pregnant.

"I can't believe I have to push a whole person out of my…"

"Honey, the baby will be beautiful, will you stop worrying?" He said confidently and she scowled.

"It's not the baby I'm worried about, it's my…"

A cow conveniently mooed at just the right time and Jack ran off to deal with her, leaving his wife huffing and panicking about the physics and biology of having a baby.

* * *

Lumina was busy clearing away the breakfast plates after eating a splendid meal prepared by her eager-to-please boyfriend. He seemed particularly eager to placate her this morning, using a large platter of fruit and a tower of pancakes as his aids.

"You obviously want something Rock," she told him as he cleared away the plates and she tried to help. He cleared his throat, his brown eyes darting all over the room as though watching the flight path of a particularly energetic dust particle.

He laughed nervously. "You know me too well, Lu."

She nodded evenly, she knew this to be true.

"I think we should get married." He told her with a huge grin on his face, she promptly dropped the plate and fell to the nearest chair, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright Lu?" He asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Can't… breathe." She whispered, panting for air. He looked at her worriedly and she held up a hand to gesture that she would recover. Eventually her breathing returned roughly to normal and she stood from her chair. "I need to take a walk."

"You always need to take a walk nowadays!" Rock complained, and she strode out of the kitchen. Once out in the cool air she took a deep breath, she didn't know what that reaction had been exactly, it had felt like she was suffocating. She scratched her stomach and looked down to find it red and swollen, she had actually broken out in a rash.

"That isn't normal," she said, shaking her head, it seemed she had a really bad case of commitment phobia.

It was time for her to ask herself a lot of deep questions, the main one being: did she love Rock? Well of course she did, in a way it seemed she had always loved him, but somehow that still wasn't quite the issue. Did she love him enough to spend the rest of her life with him? How would she know if it was right? It wasn't as though someone had produced a guidebook: "How Do You know if Your Man is Mr. Right?"

With Angel she had somehow just known that if he asked her to marry him, she would say yes without a doubt, but with Rock it was all more complicated. Then again, hadn't it always been? And don't they say that the path to true love never runs smoothly? Maybe she and Rock really were meant to be together, but what if they weren't? What if she made a huge mistake and ruined everything they had now? She took a deep breath and realised, the only cure to this commitment phobia would be the perfect moment: that perfect moment when she looked into his eyes and thought, he's the one for me. She wondered if moments like that could be manufactured or forced, well it was worth a try.

* * *

Ann leant her chin on one hand and looked at her husband with raised eyebrows, he was acting more like the pregnant woman in this marriage.

"Oh Honey, you're glowing!" She joked, and he grinned at her, sitting down next to her on the bed. He looked over at the tiny bed that he had built in the corner for the baby when it grew up, and the crib which he had also built, standing next to the bookshelves. It was made of soft beech wood, painted relaxing white, and at the top hung a little mobile with various painted farm animals made from wood, adorable yet rather tacky.

"Shush, Ann," he laughed, a small smile then appeared on his face when he looked like he wanted something. "Snoochiepups, how would you feel about having a baby shower?"

"Oh god no!" She said shaking her head defiantly. "No baby showering, the last thing I need is to be showered with gifts… or babies… or baby gifts!"

"But it'd be great, and we'd get gifts for the baby…" He told her smiling, he placed his hands on her shoulders and leant down to kiss her on the cheek.

"We can buy our own gifts for the baby, and not have to put up with everyone telling me that I'm glowing. Glowing is just a better way of saying: dang you're pregnant, and your arse is huge!" She argued, he loved how wide her mouth seemed to grow when she argued.

"But sweetie…"

"I don't want the three wise men turning up bringing frankincense, myrrh and gold, or whatever else they want to shower us with." She told him. "We can buy these things ourselves."

"I just want to do something special to celebrate how happy I am that I have a beautiful wife and a soon-to-be beautiful child…" He said proudly. "Right now it's mostly just a beautiful foetus." He added flashing her the puppy dog eyes.

She sighed. "Doesn't the baby celebrate that as it is? Besides, it'll have birthdays… and festivals."

"If we have a baby shower you can ask for stuff…" He said enticingly, her blue eyes lit up.

"What _kind _of stuff?" She asked suspiciously, but with intrigue. He grinned, he had lured her in with bait, now he just needed to reel her in.

"Anything you want! Clothes, jewellery, pots, pans, movies… recipe books, perfume." He added, lengthening the vowels of each word to make them sound all the more enticing. Ann thought for a moment, then folded her arms and pursed her lips.

"Fine," she agreed and Jack grinned, throwing his arms around her and kissing her on the head. "But nothing scarily cute, like stuffed stalks."

"Promise," he said innocently and she sighed.

* * *

When Lumina finally returned from her walk, Rock was sitting casually on her bed, reading a magazine and waiting for her. She coughed as she entered and he put down the magazine, which was obviously one which she had brought with her from college, and smiled cautiously at her.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked tentatively and she nodded, walking over to the dresser and looking at her outfits, just so she didn't have to look at him. "You sure?" He asked again.

"I'm fine, honestly," she whispered, leaning against the cupboard door and placing her forehead up against it, the smell of wood and varnish filled her nostrils. But she wasn't fine, she was so torn, and she knew that Rock expected an answer to his proposal eventually, even if it hadn't been so much a formal proposal.

"Lumina, I know things have changed between us since we were last together, and I know we can't just go back, but I just want to make sure we end up together." He told her softly, trying to make her understand his reasons. She sighed and turned to him, golden eyes glinting in the dim spring sunlight that poured into the room.

"I just need time," she told him and he nodded, they both were then silent.

He stood up for a moment and walked to the door, placing his hand on the frame, he looked at the door for a moment then turned back to glance at her.

"I just wish we'd have fun like we used to," he told her before walking out of the door. Lumina breathed out as he left, _fun_, that word hadn't even been in her vocabulary since Angel had died. In fact, she wondered if it had been in her vocabulary since Romana died. Had she ever known the meaning of the word fun? Rock seemed to have fun enough for both of them, at least, he did have until she killed his fun. She felt like she had been in mourning since the day Romana died, or even since the day her parents died, maybe it was time for her to stop?

But in truth, she didn't even know how to begin having the fun, carefree life again. Would a marriage to Rock bring back the fun? Or would it just kill it even more? Could she really be satisfied with being the wife of an innkeeper, stuck in the valley her entire life? She was returning to all the questions and doubts she had had before she left, they still seemed valid, although maybe she was making a big deal out of nothing. Her time in what she called "the real world", or the world outside the valley, had not exactly been perfect, in fact with Angel's death it had been no better than life in the valley. Was staying there really a prison sentence, or was it just life?

* * *

A few days later and Ann was holding (against her will) a baby shower, with all the trimmings. She had invited practically everyone in the valley (with the exception of Daryl, because she had never been able to find him… well… not creepy), and almost everyone had showed up, aside from the pyrotechnician twins, Kassey and Patrick, apparently children weren't their cup of tea.

So they were all gathered in the recently cut field outside Jack's barn, with the cows, sheep and horse locked firmly inside. No one complained about the farm smell, but it was nicely covered up with the sweet aroma of cut grass and small, finely cut sandwiches and cake. A pile of gifts lay in the corner of the field and Ann kept eyeing them and sizing up the pile. In truth, Ann found the entire occasion rather dull, it was filled with all the couples of the Valley, who either had kids or were planning on them, they were chatting about babies. Ann had read the handbook on how to raise a child, she had read a handbook on how to give birth to a baby, and truly she was now sick of even the word baby, there had to be more interesting things to talk about. But apparently not, everyone seemed to have the highly contagious baby fever.

Even Nami and Gustafa, who had avoided the subject of babies after Gustafa and Celia had given birth to an illegitimate baby, were discussing having their own "little bundle of joy". Apparently, the whole Gustafa-being-father-of-the-baby shenanigan had been forgotten, and they treated little baby Rose as though she truly was the child of Celia and Marlin, she would be the valleys best kept secret.

Finally Lumina and Rock arrived, she was cradling a small gift wrapped in shiny white paper with a pink ribbon placed delicately on top, like the red cherry on a white cake. Ann hurried over to greet them, here was a couple sure not to let her down, their relationship was far too unsure to talk about babies.

"Ah congratulations Ann," Lumina smiled, handing her the gift and gazing around at the assembled party. She could hear a few words from each conversation and each one seemed to include a lot of "baby".

"Thanks _so_ much for coming, seriously, if I hear the word baby one more time…" Ann told them irately, looking about ready to explode.

"Hey Baby," Jack said cheerily and Ann fumed, walking off in a huff. "What I say?"

"I think Ann's a little sick of the "baby" part of the "baby shower"." Lumina informed him with a shy smile, she couldn't believe her ex-boyfriend was having a baby way before her, or that he had settled down so easily. It seemed almost upsetting to her that all her romantic conquests had ended with the man moving on and settling down a long time before her, that or they died like Angel, but then there was Rock. He wanted to settle down, and in a way she knew she should too, and if not with him, with who else? She knew that really she just needed that one perfect moment.

"JACK, I'M OPENING THE PRESENTS!" Ann called across the field, and everyone turned round to stare at her whilst Celia held Rose a little closer to her.

"Okay Honey," Jack said, walking towards her and watching as his pregnant wife struggled to take a seat.

"Alrightey then, hand me the first present!" She announced and Jack passed her the first gift which turned out to be a breast-pump from Samantha and her family.

"I'm not sure what to say about this…" Ann whispered, studying the strange contraption with a confused frown. "Uh don't you have something just like this for milking cows…?" Ann really didn't like idea of using something that she was sure was used with bovines.

"Uh… what's next?" She asked and was handed a little sketch pad from Gustafa and Nami. She smiled at him and waited for the next gift, a ball from Chris and Wally, a beautiful ivory rattle from Flora and Carter (which they assured her had been bought, not dug up), a milk bottle and recipe for special milk from Ruby and Tim, an adorable teddy bear from Celia and Marlin and many other beautiful gifts.

"Okay, last present." Jack said, handing her the little white-wrapped gift from Lumina and Rock. Ann grinned and gently removed the paper, pulling out a beautiful blue music box. It was covered in golden engravings and was made from blue coloured metal, when opened it played a sweet melody.

"Even if your baby is a boy, I hope it'll love music." Lumina said softly, gazing at the box.

"No Lumina, it's too beautiful, I can't take this." Ann said, trying to hand the box back to Lumina.

"I used to collect them as a child, don't worry, I want your baby to have it." She said kindly and Ann grinned, her blue eyes lighting up. She stood, with much effort, to hug Lumina and suddenly there was a splash.

"Uh, what was that?" Rock asked, looking a little disgusted and Ann looked down.

"Damn it, my water broke, Jack get the wheelbarrow!" She ordered and her husband quickly obliged. She seated herself inside and he began to push it quickly to Hardy's house, he had decided to skip out on the party because he had filing to do, and this seemed good luck to Ann.

When she was finally lying down in the bed, she closed her eyes and began her breathing, cursing Jack's name for doing this to her.

"Damn you Jack, you and your baby shower, you planned this!" She accused, her face flushed red and her sunset coloured hair sticking to her forehead.

"How would I plan something like this…?" He asked looking nonplussed.

"You and the baby, you planned it!" She said in between deep breaths and Jack shook his head.

"Of course, me and the baby are in cahoots." He said sarcastically and Ann gasped.

"I knew it!" She murmured suspiciously and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Ann, we're gonna have a baby!" He said excitedly.

"No, I'm gonna have a baby! You're just realising this now?" She demanded and Jack made a mental note: don't talk to crazy pregnant lady.

* * *

"Isn't the miracle of life beautiful?" Rock asked, they were sitting outside Hardy's house hours after Ann had been called in, she was still dilating and having contractions. Night had drawn its veil across the sky now and the stars seemed to be twinkling for the new life, all bright and beautiful, watching down on them. Lumina nodded and smiled, somehow Ann's baby seemed to put things into perspective, that such a tiny baby could be created by two people's love, well then that could never be a bad thing.

"I love you Rock," she told him truthfully, turning and gazing into his eyes, which were illuminated by the light of the stars. He searched her eyes deeply as if seeing if this was the truth, he then smiled. He reached over and took her hand, lacing his fingers around hers and beaming at her.

"I love you too Lumina."

Suddenly Lumina realised, that was it, this was the perfect moment. If she wasn't ready to spend her life with Rock now, then she'd never be ready to spend her life with anyone.

"Rock,"

"Yes Lu?"

"I think I'd like to marry you,"

"Okay Lu, I think I'd like to marry you too." He smiled at her sweetly, and she felt herself back in those days of innocence when she and Rock had first become best friends. She remembered the first night they'd slept in the same bed, in a perfectly innocent way, just sleeping, and she remembered how much safety and security she had always felt in his arms. She knew now that she'd had her answer all along, she'd known since the very beginning that Rock would be the one she would spend her life with.

* * *

It was about 4am in the morning when Ann finally held the little baby boy in her arms, she was so exhausted that she could hardly keep her eyes open. Finally Lumina and Rock walked in with bags under their eyes to see the new little baby.

"The baby's done," Ann joked, stifling a yawn. The couple smiled and spotted Jack sitting in a chair and watching over the baby with wide eyes.

"I'm a daddy," he said softly and they all smiled at him. The baby was so small, with tiny little pink fingers and toes but huge, bright blue eyes, just like Ann's.

"Hello," she whispered to the baby, and he closed his tiny fingers around her larger one.

"You thought about what you're going to call him?" Lumina asked softly and Ann looked over at Jack.

"Yeah, we think we're going to call him Reed, after Jack's father." Ann told them with a smile. "Reed Ash Smith." She spoke softly and the baby looked at her with inquiring name.

"Suits him," Rock said, and they all smiled down at the baby that was a symbol for a bright new future.


	47. She Lies, He Lies

47. She Lies, He Lies

As the spring air slowly heated and the ground became baked hard by the fiery, yellow sun, everything was at its healthiest and happiest. The plants reached up to the sky with their green arms and the lush grass bowed in the summer breeze, the world was the picture of health. The light summer breeze carried the scent of cut grass, various pollens and flowers and ripened fruit, these fragrances were sweet and tantalising, calming to the nostrils of any creature. The bees were kept busy by their pursuit to the bright, cheerful flowers, nectar glossing their lips as an offering to the striped insects, before these winged pollen carriers would speed back to the smooth honey chambers to be make sweet sugars and then be on to the next flowers.

Lumina sat out by the gravestones, watching the marble glitter in the sun and wondering if it was much cooler beneath the earth. She turned her eyes upwards to the clear azure sky, not a single fluffy cloud was to be seen in that expanse of blue and tiny dots appeared in her eyes as she was captivated by the blue. She was taking a break from planning her wedding, finally, her very own wedding. She and Rock were now in a hurry to plan it, ready for the end of the summer, they didn't want to delay the date any further. They were young and in love, everything was perfect once again and it seemed they were on their way to a happily ever after. She only had one issue on her guilty conscience: could she ever tell Rock about Angel's death, or the fact that they would be married had his death not come about. If she ever did tell her fiancé about her almost-marriage, should she do it before their wedding or after?

Such questions made the marriage weigh heavy on her mind, when everything should have been about happiness and joy at this time. Rock appeared behind her and took a seat against the gravestone, taking her hand in his own.

"Would you mind standing up?" He asked and she looked at him curiously, slowly she obliged and watched as he knelt on one knee. She gasped as she saw him take out a small black velvet box. "Lumina, I figured we should do this properly, so will you marry me?"

"You already know my answer is yes." She told him, grinning and taking the box from him. Inside was a small ring, it was silver in colour and she supposed it was made from silver metal, rather than platinum as Angel's had been. Inside was a small diamond, winking at her in the sun with an optimistic cuteness rather than effulgent beauty as Angel's had been. It was a small ring, and nothing in comparison to the one she already owned, yet this one was in it's own way more precious, it symbolised Rock's eternal love for her, rather than Angel's untimely death.

"So, do you like it?" He asked self-consciously. "I mean, I know it's not much…"

"It's beautiful… I love it." She told him, slipping it onto her ring finger. He stood up and held her hands, leaning over to kiss her softly.

"I have the most beautiful wife in all the world," he said proudly and she shook her head.

"Not true, but I definitely have the sweetest husband. Will you still think I'm beautiful when I'm old and wrinkled?" She asked and he laughed.

"Probably not, but I'll love you all the same." He joked and she frowned. "I'll still think you're the most beautiful old person…"

"Here I thought you were good at cheesy lines,"

"I've improved…"

"A little, you're still allowed to lie about these things." She told him and he shook his head, looking into her brassy eyes.

"No, I never want to have to lie to you, I love that we're both totally honest." He said and she shuddered at those lines, it was almost as if he knew.

"Hmm, the best policy." She added, her voice turning a little squeakier than she would have liked.

* * *

Looking out as the sun set beneath the horizon, Lumina really saw the beauty of the world and the perfection it held. The tangerine orange colour spread across the sky, as though setting the sky alight with bright fire. She only had a few days left of being unmarried, of being Lumina Silverstone instead of Lumina Pyrite. She supposed it was like the sun was setting on one section of her life and starting a whole new chapter, a part of her couldn't wait and another part of her was sad to see her individuality go, she would forever be one of two now. She would never be alone again.

"Mourning for your single life, eh?" Came Ann's voice from behind her, she turned to see all of the girls behind her, grinning.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" She asked, gazing at the colourful dresses they were wearing.

"We're here to party, since you're the last unmarried girl, we want your single days to go out with a bang." Ann explained with a grin and the other two nodded.

"Okay, so where are we going?" Lumina asked and they all smiled.

"Everywhere," Nami said with a slight curve of her lips and Lumina cocked her head.

"We left the babies with our husbands, so we're totally free for the night." Celia told her with a grin.

"Great," Lumina enthused. "So where to?" The other girls all smiled at each other: Celia, Nami and Ann. They then lead her by the arms over to blue bar.

"First thing's first." Ann began, "to get totally wasted." She winked and ordered a round of Cherry Pinks to get them started. For the Hen night, Griffin had stated that every drink would be on the house, and the girls planned to make the most of this deal.

After many, many rounds of drinks, and having had every drink on the menu, the girls swayed out of the door and on to the next part of their fun evening.

* * *

The girls weren't the only ones having a night of final single fun, the lads had headed to Mineral town for a "wild" night on the town.

"When you guys suggested having a party, this wasn't what I imagined." Rock said dully, sitting at the inn and staring at a big bowl of pasta. Jack sighed and looked down at his own bowl of spaghetti bolognaise.

"He's right you know guys, we're supposed to be out seeing strippers or something." Jack explained, he'd only ever been to two bachelors parties, but he pretty much knew that they were supposed to be better than this.

"Yeah, this does suck." Gustafa said with a sigh, twiddling spaghetti around a fork.

"Well you guys said to book something tasty…" Marlin complained, looking around at the bored faces of his friends.

"Yeah we meant stripper tasty, not bistro tasty!" Jack said and Marlin shook his head.

"Oh."

"Well, that's okay I guess… we'll have a nice tasteful night out… can we at least get beers?" Rock asked and the other guys grinned, they ordered three beers per person and a shot of vodka each.

"Now we're talking!" Jack explained, the vodka shot slipping down his throat and setting it on fire.

* * *

The four drunk girls then headed down to the beach and stripped down to their underwear, they then waded into the ocean and began splashing each other in the waves.

"Whoah! I feel so alive!" Celia screamed, her voice loud enough to wake the dead.

"Ahhh me too! This is so much fun!" Lumina exclaimed, chucking a handful of sand in Ann's direction. "Ahhh I don't wanna settle down and get married! I love Rock, but this is more fun!"

"Yeah, men're stupid!" Nami said. "I think women are so much better, why wasn't I a lesbian?"

"Cos you're not?" Ann suggested and Nami grinned.

"Yeaaah! That must be it! You're so smart Ann!" She exclaimed and Ann looked a little worried.

"Are you coming onto me?"

"Pfft no! I'm not a lesbian!" Nami told her, folding her arms and frowning.

"Let's do something else fun next! Cos the world is spinning and I wanna spin too!" Lumina shouted, spinning around in a circle then falling with a splash into the sea. The others laughed at her and eventually she stood up.

"There's nowhere to go in this dumb valley!" Celia pouted and Ann nodded, it was true that there was very little to do in the tiny place in the middle of nowhere.

"To Mineral Town!" Ann suggested and the others grinned, it was another place with very little to do, but there was a lot more to do than in the valley. So four drunk girls stumbled through the night all the way to Mineral town, where it just so happened four guys were drunk as well.

The girls burst into the inn, and they were shocked to see the guys just as drunk as they were.

"Hey Rock! Are you as drunk as I am?" Lumina slurred, wrapping her arms around him. Rock nodded, only just able to support her as he swayed back and forth.

"Hey guys, let's go up Mothers Hill!" Nami suggested with a big drunken grin, Lumina noted that Nami was slightly more fun when she was drunk. They made there way up the tall mountain, the darkness of the night was like a veil that hid them from the sleeping town below. Now they were sitting, in their party night, all together to watch the stars, still dots in the sky that seemed to move in their drunken haze. All of the women snuggled up to their partners and Lumina shut her eyes against Rock.

"Rock, there's something I'm going to have to tell you when I'm sober," Lumina admitted and Rock nodded.

"I thought you were hiding something." He told her, she sighed and leant against his shoulder. She breathed in his familiar smell, something so exotic and yet comforting at the same time.

"Please don't let me lose you," she whispered, the drunkenness was making her tired and she yawned, about to fall into a state of drunken unconsciousness. Slowly the young couples drifted off on top of that cool mountaintop.

The morning came all too soon and the hungover, drunken couples headed back to the valley to prepare for the wedding. The birds were singing loudly, which only seemed to add to their headaches, but the world was bright. Lumina could remember slightly telling Rock that she had a secret to reveal to him, she swallowed hard, her throat was dry, she was going to have to tell him.

* * *

That morning the final organisation for the wedding was conducted, Lumina was sitting in her room and looking through the wedding plans one final time, wondering what exactly she was doing for a dress, but she had been assured by Ann that it was all taking care of. She assumed that one of the women of Mineral town would be making one for her. There was a knock on her door and she watched as Sebastian walked in with a hanger and something in a bag, her eyes lit up.

"Is this the dress?" She asked breathlessly, he nodded and pulled off the bag to reveal the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was made of smooth, white silky material which had small white straps and was low cut around her chest. The top was tight around the chest, but at the waist the dress splayed out in a fountain of riveted snowy skirt, just like a princess dress. "It's beautiful. Where'd you get it?"

"It was your mothers." Sebastian told her and her eyes widened, she ran her hand down the dress, touched by its beauty. She would be wearing the same dress her mother had worn all those years ago. She felt the tears coming to her eyes as she looked at it, she had truly never seen a more beautiful dress.

"How…?" She whispered, Sebastian smiled, watching her carefully with his blue eyes.

"We always kept it for when you'd get married, and when we lost everything I took the dress, I kept it here with Ruby and told her to give it to you when you married if I didn't return." He explained. "Your mother looked beautiful in this dress, you know you look a lot like her."

Lumina's eyes were shining, she swallowed down the lump in her throat and Sebastian left the room while she tried on the dress. It was a perfect fit and she ran her hands down the material, looking at herself in the mirror and blushing, she felt beautiful.

"You look beautiful," Sebastian voiced her thoughts and she looked up at him, smiling.

"Thank you," she said softly, she was reluctant to change out of the dress but she knew she'd be back in it again soon. She couldn't believe she was finally coming up to the day of her wedding, every time she thought about it she felt her heart flutter. "Sebastian, I'd like you to be the one to give me away."

The smile on the old man's face was something so bright and amazing, it was like a ray of sunshine when there is no more light, or a single leaf hanging on to a tree. "Of course Lumina, I'd love to. Thank you."

They embraced and Lumina felt the comfort of her childhood, whenever she needed comfort Sebastian would be there to hold her, sometimes both he and Romana would hug her and then they felt like a family. After an emotional moment, Lumina wiped the tears from her eyes and braced herself for much more later, she still had to tell Rock that her dead-boyfriend had been about to propose to her. After Sebastian left the room she pulled out the ring again, its perfect beauty was just like Angel, almost unrealistically perfect.

Eventually she headed downstairs to Ruby and Tim's room where Rock was sitting alone, as if he had been waiting for her. He watched her enter and beckoned for her to sit down, he then handed her a mug of tea.

"It's my Mum's hangover cure, have you still got a headache?" He asked and Lumina placed a hand to her head, there was a dull ache that she had managed to ignore while gazing at her mothers old wedding dress. She nodded and took the drink from him, blowing on the golden coloured water and then taking a sip, breathing in and tasting the floral flavour of chamomile, the sweetness of honey, the refreshing taste of lemon and some other tastes that she couldn't discern.

"I have to tell you that secret now, don't I?" It was more of a statement than a question. Rock fidgeted with a edge of the duvet and she watched him swallow and then nod tentatively.

"Yeah, I guess so, is it bad?" He asked, almost in a joking fashion but she could tell that he really was worried. She sighed and took another sip of her drink, she then took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Just remember that I love _you_, and it's not so bad really, I guess it depends how you take the news." She said softly, she then swallowed hard and proceeded to pour out the secrets that she had kept. She told him all about the night that Angel had died, all about finding the ring and feeling her heart break right then, and Rock just listened, watching with wide, brown eyes. Finally she finished her story and was surprised to find herself crying again, she supposed she'd bottled it up so long that releasing the words had released the feelings again too. Normally Rock would put his arm around her, but now he wasn't sure he could, the lie didn't affect him much now and yet it changed everything.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He choked out and she looked at him in shock.

"I wasn't ready to talk about it, I just wanted it all to be like it was before." She said softly and Rock shook his head.

"But it's really not!"

"How does this change _anything_?" She demanded, Rock stood up, his mouth wide to argue.

"This changes everything!"

"How?"

"Because you were in love with a guy that died! You'd still be with him now if he hadn't. It wasn't a relationship that fell apart, he's always going to have a place in your heart!" Rock told her, he could feel his heart breaking, although he knew it was stupid.

"A completely different place! I'm marrying you aren't I! He can't exactly change that being dead!" She said sarcastically and Rock shook his head, unable to say anything in reply and so, in an overdramatic huff, he walked out of the room and left Lumina in a panic.

She began to pace the room, wondering if he'd run away or if he'd ever come back, and her happy ending was supposed to be tomorrow, so much for that. She took a deep breath, she realised that she would have to continue planning the wedding as normal and just hope that he got over this by the next day.

* * *

Rock walked quickly away from the inn, not knowing where he was going, but knowing he had to be anywhere but there. What the hell could he do now? Could he really ever go back? He had a wedding tomorrow, but could he marry someone who had lied to him about something that he considered quite big? If she lied to him about this, what else would she lie to him about in the future? He kept walking at a fast pace, he felt like the Rock he had been before he met her, pig-headed, stupid and selfish. He realised that she must have been going through such a hard time, the love of her life had died after all. He punched the bark of a tree and felt the skin of his hand graze.

He knew that, truly, everything was still the same. Lumina still loved him, he still loved her. Yet at the same time, everything was totally different. If Angel hadn't died, she probably would have married him and that unnerved him: would he always come second place in her heart now? He knew it wasn't really as simple as all that, but he had no idea how everything could go back to being the same again. He kept walking around the valley, could he really run away from this? No, he couldn't do that to Lumina. But how could he work all this out in a single day, how could he still marry her?

"Hey! Rock!" Ann called out to him, running down from the farm and eyeing him carefully, she looked as though she had only just crawled out of bed and her red hair was a mess. "What's up with you?"

"I uh… It's…" He didn't exactly know what to say, should he tell her the entire story? Somehow he seemed to trust the redhead and he knew he needed to talk to someone, and it ought to be a girl, seeing as they tended to give better advice for these things.

"Come on in, Jack's out selling a chicken in Mineral town anyway." She said, pushing him inside, they walked through the bedroom, past baby Reed sleeping peacefully in his cot. They sat down at the kitchen table, which had a cotton blue cloth thrown over it for decoration. The kitchen was spotlessly clean, yet the smell of cookies hung in the air from yesterday. Ann noticed him sniffing the air and headed to the fridge, pulling out a box of cookies and offering him one, which he took gladly. "So I'm guessing this is about the wedding."

"Yes… well not really, sort of. It's not about the wedding, but it affects the wedding… I can't go through with the wedding." He told her and she shook her head. Her blue eyes surveyed him angrily and she looked about ready to snatch back the cookie. He saw her look and shook his head. "I still love her Ann, but she lied to me."

"About what?" She demanded and Rock proceeded to explain, after swallowing down the cookie. When he had finished Ann leant back in her chair, her face blank, remembering when Jack had told her about Muffy. "I can't believe Lumina kept this from us."

"Me either, I knew she was keeping something, but nothing anywhere near this big." He admitted and Ann sighed.

"I know how you feel, you know. Jack didn't tell me about Muffy before we were married, he waited until after." She told him angrily, now taking a cookie for herself. Rock swallowed hard, his face falling, people didn't talk about Muffy too often in the valley.

"Ah… Muffy, but he wasn't planning to marry her." He pointed out. Ann shrugged, taking another chocolate chip cookie and crunching down hard on it.

"What difference does it make?"

"Lumina was in love with this guy, he's always going to hold a place in her heart. Will I always be second best?" He asked sadly and Ann shook her head.

"It's not like that though, is it? Whatever she felt for this guy, she feels it for you now. Sure, he'll always hold a place in her heart, but you'll never be second best." She told him and deep down, he knew that she was right. "The real problem is that she lied to you."

"Yeah… how did you forgive Jack?" He asked. Ann looked at the door that joined the kitchen to the bedroom and then looked back.

"It was because of the baby, I realised I was up the duff and that I was going to have to forgive Jack. Then when I had, I realised that in the long run that lie didn't matter, he didn't do it to hurt me, he did it to protect me. Lumina didn't tell us because she found it hard to handle, maybe she just wanted to forget."

"I guess, but now was not the time to tell me."

"Think about her though, Rock, all that pain has just been brought back and you walked out on her." Ann accused. "She needs you right now, she needs you to treat her the same."

"What if I can't?" He asked eventually and she shook her head.

"Then you may have to give up the woman you love." She told him. They were both silent as this truth sunk in, Ann then asked the question that Rock had been asking himself since Lumina had revealed the truth. "Are you going to be at that wedding tomorrow?"

Rock sighed, his brown eyes wide and pensive. "I don't know."


	48. Lovers' Walk

Hey guys, second to last chapter, right here. I'm just gonna go ahead and post the two final chapters right now... Thank yous, Goodbyes etc. will be on the next chapter :)

* * *

48. Lovers Walk

The morning of the wedding had arrived and still Rock hadn't returned to the inn, others had noticed and began to worry for Lumina's sake, but she insisted that he would turn up. Truly she had no idea whether he would show or not, but she had to believe that he would do the right thing in the end, and that showing up really was the right thing. She had changed into her beautiful white wedding dress again, she had smoothed down her hair and applied her makeup, she had everything ready – except her husband.

"Lumina, the priest is here!" Celia said urgently and Lumina swallowed hard, it was coming down to the critical moment. She took a deep breath, normally the groom would deal with the priest while the wife continued to get ready, but Rock was nowhere to be seen, in fact no one had seen him since the night he had spoken with Ann. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll go speak to him," she said bravely. "I'll tell him the situation."

She headed outside and found everyone grouped around by the beach, where chairs surrounded a small aisle. It was all decorated so beautifully, with white lilies everywhere and veils of white hanging over the chairs. She walked out in her dress and found Carter grinning at the end of the aisle.

"Hi Carter," she greeted and he beamed at her.

"Ah the lucky bride!" He exclaimed and she nodded.

"Maybe… maybe not." The priest's face fell. "See… my husband sort of ran away, and we haven't seen him."

"Do you know if he's coming or not?" Carter checked and she shook her head. "Oh, so what? We're going to wait and see?"

"I suppose," she whispered, trying to keep up her brave face.

"Well I hope he turns up."

Lumina nodded, she couldn't imagine how awful it would be if he didn't show. They'd have to cancel the wedding, of course, and what would she do then? Would she and Rock ever work it out? They'd come so close this time, so close to finally being done with the stupid mistakes of their past, they'd been close to being the epitome of happiness. She hurried back into the inn, where Nami, Celia, Ann and Ruby were grouped around the table, they all looked worried.

"Any luck in finding him?" Lumina asked hopefully and they shook their heads. How could they not find him? Unless he had jumped ship and left the island, but he wouldn't do that to her without warning, would he?

"Sorry Lumina, the guys are still on the case." Ann told her and Lumina tried to smile.

"Thanks for your help guys, but if he's not here in an hour, I have no idea what we're going to do." She said, biting down on her lip.

"Well we'll stall, we can get you two hours." Ann said and Lumina took in a deep breath.

"Leave stalling to us," Celia said, smiling determinedly at Nami who, for once, returned it.

"You can count on us," Nami promised and Lumina nodded.

"Okay then, I guess I'll wait here for a while, good luck guys." Lumina forced a smile and then sat at her dressing table to make sure she looked perfect.

* * *

"So how exactly were you planning to stall?" Nami asked and Celia looked baffled.

"I have no idea, I had to say something!" She said worriedly and Nami sighed.

"Leave it to me,"

It took Nami only a little while to come up with a foolproof plan to save the day, it involved Gustafa, a guitar and Celia's vocals.

"But… I'm not much of a singer…" Celia protested and Nami pushed her up at the alter.

"Doesn't matter, that's what makes it such a great diversion," Nami said with a cruel wink. Soon Celia and Gustafa were standing at the alter, to perform, not to become joined in holy matrimony.

"What am I supposed to sing?" Celia asked, shooting Gustafa a desperate glance.

"The words don't matter, just the music." He said softly and Celia swallowed hard. Gustafa began to strum a slow tune and Celia started off with a few "la"s but then began to make up some random lyrics.

Jack approached Ann and put his hands on her arms, looking at her seriously. "You haven't found him?" Ann asked and Jack shook his head. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"How could Rock do this to her on her wedding day? I gave her up because I thought they were meant to be together, I needn't have bothered."

"Jack!"

"I know… sorry, don't talk about issues with exes." Jack said with frustration. "But Ann, how could he do this to her, he's gotta know that she loves him!"

"He does! Look, you don't know the whole story okay." Ann told him, she couldn't tell Jack, but she understood that about half the valley would understand what Rock was going through right now. It seemed that everyone had been hurt by a secret once in the last few years, ever since the dark secrets behind Romana's death, she would have thought that that might have promoted some openness.

"It doesn't matter, it's her wedding day. We've gotta find him." Jack said, before hurrying off to comb the valley again. Ann sighed, she hoped Rock would find the strength to come back.

* * *

Rock stood on top of Mothers Hill, unable to believe that Lumina hadn't had him found again, was she letting him go? She had done it before, but even he knew now was not exactly the time for letting go. He took in a deep breath of mountain air, from the summit he was able to see over the vast expanse of trees below. He wondered if anyone had bothered to check Mineral Town for him, he also wondered what Lumina was doing. Would she tell them to cancel the wedding? Or would she wait for him? He hoped she wouldn't wait, if she did and he didn't show it would be terrible for her. He hated to think of her so miserable, but somehow he couldn't muster the strength to go back and face her, how could he forgive her for lying just like that? His mental dilemma seemed to be forming an argument inside his head, which quite frankly was unnerving.

"_For God's sake, Rock, the girl needs you!" _The good, new, unselfish part of him protested. _"She _made _you the good person you are today!"_

"_Pfft, you were happier before, let the bitch be embarrassed, go somewhere new. Find some hot, blonde slut and enjoy yourself." _The part of himself that he hated, the one that he had managed to push to the back of his mind since Lumina came into his life, it wanted rid of her. Rock knew this was the evil side of him, but it was the side that supported his right to run away.

"_If you do this to her you'll hate yourself." _Good Rock told him.

"_She lied to you, and hid the fact that her long-term boyfriend died."_

"_Hasn't she suffered enough, just let the girl have her happy ending!"_

"_She made the wrong decision, screw her! Go and find someone new, she's not the girl for you."_

"She is!" Rock shouted out loud, his voice ringing out more amplified than he'd expected, sending birds fluttering from their trees.

"_Rock, she's the only one that can make you truly happy, and that can kill your dark side once and for all, you don't want to go back to being who you were. You can't be that person again. You can't leave her on her wedding day!" _Good Rock took the advantage to make his point known.

"I can't go back to her, I can't forgive her." Rock protested, beginning to pace around the mountainside.

"_Exactly, you can't go back to the bitch that _lied _to you." _Evil Rock said with a tantalising voice.

"No… she… she loves me and I love her, it doesn't matter anymore." Rock said, trying to push that evil voice out of his head, it felt like possession.

"_I'm not going to let you make the mistake of going back to her." _Rock could only describe what was going on in his mind as mild schizophrenia. He found himself being pushed towards the mountain edge, he was doing it himself and yet he wasn't. He felt himself tipping over.

* * *

"I must ask that we get on with the wedding!" Carter said with a sigh, watching Celia and Gustafa continue their rather pathetic form of entertainment to a bored-looking audience. The guests were sitting, unresponsive, waiting impatiently for the bride to make her appearance.

"He's right Gustafa, we can't do this anymore. I'll go and get Lumina." She told him softly and he closed his eyes, he felt so much pity for her.

Celia knocked on Lumina's bedroom door and found her fighting back tears. "He's not going to come, is he?" She whispered and Celia shook her head, feeling close to tears herself.

"I'm so sorry Lumina," she told her. "I don't think he is."

"Okay," Lumina said softly, standing up and wiping away the tears from her eyes. "I'll go and tell everyone that he's not coming." She put on her brave face, picked up the hem of her flowing white skirt and walked out of the door. It seemed everyone had arrived now, the men were back from looking for Rock, having given up, and they were looking at her with pity, the only person missing was the groom himself.

Lumina marched up to the isle, flinching when Flora played the wedding march on an ocarina, she shook her head and Flora stopped immediately. She stood at the top of the aisle and sighed, taking a deep breath to push back the tears.

"Thank you all for coming, but I have some bad news…" She began, shutting her eyes and then opening them again. She then saw Rock walking towards her, dressed in the clothes he had worn two days ago and looking slightly battered. She gasped at his shabby appearance, but was nonetheless glad to see him.

"Yeah, the grooms looking a little roughed up." Rock joked and the guests looked a little confused. "Mind if I spend some time to go and get dressed."

Lumina's eyes widened, she wondered if he would change his mind about marrying her if he dressed. "No, I think you look fine the way you are."

"Sorry I'm so late Lumina, and I'll explain everything later." He whispered, and she nodded.

"Okay, good, and by the way, you have perfect timing… well not perfect perfect, but pretty good." She told him and he smiled.

"Okay then, let's get on with the wedding shall we?" Carter asked, so Lumina headed to the other end of the aisle to walk back down with Sebastian.

It was safe to say that the rest of the ceremony went fine, and maybe it's true what they say, the more hectic the wedding the better the marriage. The couple said their "I do"s and looked deep into each others eyes, and Rock instantly knew he'd made the right decision. Lumina looked like a pure angel in her white dress, her light hair illuminated by the summer sun, and her eyes sparkling with fresh tears, this time from happiness.

"You may kiss the bride," Carter announced and Rock leant in to kiss his beautiful wife, it seemed as though everything would turn out as it should.

After the wedding Lumina and Rock decided to spend their honeymoon in the most beautiful place on earth, home. Lumina decided that she had spent enough time away from where she truly belonged, and so they moved into the mansion and invited Sebastian to come and live with them, but after the honeymoon.

"So where were you?" Lumina asked later, her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised, still wearing her wedding dress.

"Mothers hill… which I fell off, hence the being late. I made my decision with time to spare, but I had to scramble up the cliff edge, since I fell onto a little alcove." He told her honestly.

"I thought we said no more lies," she said sceptically. Rock opened his mouth to protest, but then he closed it.

"You know what, you'd never believe me if I told you, and that's the truth." Rock smiled and she nodded.

"Okay then," she leant over and kissed him again.

"So Mrs. Pyrite, how does it feel to no longer be a Silverstone?" Rock asked, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.

"I think, new name, new beginning. I want to forget about the stupid past, let's just move on." She whispered. "Honey," she added.

"Yes dear?"

"Do we have to tell our kids about all this?"

"No, I think that's a family secret that they can find out themselves."

"Good, because if I had to explain all this again, I don't know if I could." She admitted and Rock laughed.

"It does sound rather farfetched, doesn't it?" He chuckled and she grinned shaking her head.

"God, it doesn't even sound plausible,"

"It really doesn't, if we tried to pass this off as a story, it really would never work." He said, their sides were now aching with laughter.

"So it's agreed, we tell the kids nothing?"

"Deal." Rock agreed.

* * *

And so, Forget-Me-Not valley was sworn to secrecy on a number of counts, and it was decided by the parents that the next generation would know nothing of the scandal, the murders, the mystery, the weirdness or the affairs. The kids would grow up to believe that their parents were normal and boring and maybe, as the parents decided, it was for the best. But the truth has a way of coming out and eventually it would rear its ugly head again, but until then the parents wanted to enjoy the peace.


	49. A Means to an End

Well guys, this is it, the final chapter, it's been one hell of a journey, and this is the longest thing I have ever written. If nothing else I can say that this has been a labour of love, and if you guys got even the least bit of enjoyment out of it, or remember it in the slightest, then this has been one hundred percent worth it.

So I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed, or put this fic on your alerts or favourites list, (your names will be listed at the bottom). All your support has been so greatly appreciated. It would be lovely to still hear from you every so often, I will still read reviews and will reply to any questions you might ask by dropping a message.

But anyway, this is the end...

* * *

49. A Means to An End

_Three years later…_

"Well Romana, you'd be awfully proud." The old man told the headstone, which was sitting peacefully, bathed in the morning sunlight. The old man stood facing the stone, after having placed a bunch of new Goddess Drop flowers in front of it, their petals glittering in the light. "Lumina's really grown up a lot, and her life seems to be right on track now."

He smiled proudly. He thought back to when Lumina was so childish and first starting out in the world, now she was having children all of her own. His face brightened further, Lumina's child.

"Lumina had a little baby boy, his name is Gabriel Matthew, but we just call him Matty. He's an adorable little tyke, very sweet and helpful to his mother, he's even learning to play the piano." Sebastian told Romana, smiling. "He calls me Grandfather, can you believe it? Lumina raised him to believe I'm one of his Grandfathers, and of course that Tim is the other. Matty will hopefully never find out that he isn't blood related to a single living grandparent."

Sebastian chuckled again, placing a wrinkled, old hand on the gravestone and feeling the smooth marble beneath it. "The rest of the valley is doing great too, everyday I find it hard to believe that Rose and Reed are now almost four years old. Celia and Marlin are expecting their second, and I believe Ann and Jack will catch up soon enough. Nami and Gustafa had their own child too, her name is Sakura and she has such beautiful blue eyes like her mother."

"What else?" Sebastian asked absently. He hadn't updated the affairs of the valley to Romana in a while and had been beginning to feel guilty. He glanced across at Nina's and Muffy's grave, hoping that they too would hear his words up in heaven. He imagined what would have become of Muffy had she still been alive, she probably would have had beautiful children of her own by now, such a shame.

"Ah, Sebastian, I thought I might find you here." Came Lumina's voice, she was smiling at him, red lips forming into a curve. She was dressed in a smooth, light green dress and her hair fell neatly around her ears. She watched him with warm, motherly eyes, that seemed so full of wisdom now. She looked even more like her mother, and even looked a lot like Romana.

"You'd be so proud," the old man mumbled again, before turning round to smile at Lumina.

"Rock and I are about ready to go out to dinner, are you okay to look after Matty?" She asked and Sebastian grinned.

"Of course Lumina, I'll head back home now." He promised, he turned back to the gravestone and touched it one more time. "Goodbye for now my dear Romana."

With that he headed off and across the bridge back to the mansion. Lumina knelt down opposite the stone, looking down at the flowers that Sebastian had placed. "We're doing well now Romana, say hello to everyone for me."

Rock stood in casual but nice clothes behind Lumina and when she stood again he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Are you ready for dinner?"

"Of course," with that the two walked off.

Indeed life in the valley was the picture of the simple but happy life, all of the secrets had been hidden so well that it seemed as though they had never existed. The children were growing up happy and well-rounded, each as good as the others with their own individual personalities. Little Matty was growing up well, he had dark blonde hair, a perfect complexion and the cutest face of any little boy Lumina or Rock had ever seen. Of course they were biased and Reed was also adorable, but to them their own son was the most precious gift from God. Sometimes Lumina found it hard not to mother him, as loss of everything precious to her had made her overprotective, but she gave the child his freedom to grow up as he wanted.

Rock now worked as manager of the inn, now that Tim and Ruby were getting older, they both still helped out, but Rock was working extra hard. Lumina had found her own career to keep her from sinking into mundane country life. She and Gustafa made music together, they often played at the inn in the valley and even the one in Mineral town. They had also travelled to the mainland a few times to record it, and "Sounds of The Countryside" could be found in the classical music section of most music stores.

Life seemed almost too blissful, but although there are no happy endings, there are still long sessions of contentment, which really are what makes life worth living. We all keep hoping for a time when life will give us a break and just let us be happy. Sure, happiness is never complete, as humans we have to keep searching for something else, but once near perfection is found you should take the time to step back and look at it.

Life is hard, no one ever said it wouldn't be, but you've got to have the bravery to take it by both hands and really take a bite out of this big blue world. Maybe everything doesn't wrap up as simply as it does in Hollywood movies, each story doesn't end with a revolution, life goes on and each chapter will open a new one. But go out there, make your own story and enjoy it. Life is complicated, dramatic and sometimes tragic and you can never tell exactly what the future holds, but most of the time, that's half the fun.

Lumina and Rock sat over dinner, discussing the good times and planning their adorable two year old son's life out for him. They loved him dearly, he could not have turned out better and they valued him as the symbol of their love. He looked a lot like both of them and it was obvious from his features that he was their child, but somehow there was another element to him: the way his cheekbones were so high, and his skin was so perfect and his eyes. This element said nothing of Lumina or Rock, and they couldn't tell according to the genetics of their families how it had come to pass. Of course Rock's biological family was a mystery, so perhaps he resembled a distant uncle or grandparent. Yet, for Lumina, there was something oddly familiar about her son's appearance, as though a part of her old life. But neither of the pair would ever know how their little gift from heaven had come to obtain such intensely blue eyes…

**THE END**

* * *

Now for the credits:

**Thank you from the bottom of my heart to...**

To the reviewers, chronologically: **like red on a rose, Prince Charleton, Shiruko Yuina, Chicken Yuki, Vook, Awesome Rapidash, kelley28, JeSsIcA-in-DA-HoUsE, Shippostail, barleyawake, Nellas Elendil, Momo-chan12, NightimeRoseOX, YukiShinoya444, gothangel12345, Disodo, HmGirly, frozenmoogle, Kairi Tsubasa, klutz586, Werewolf559, Ekoaleko, Midnight Raining Down, MyShadowsThorn, The Yellow Scrapbook, Wing Omega, timoton, Suupaa pandaroo, lostladyknight.**


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